Carin Jennings-Gabarra

International Jennings-Gabarra's fame rests on her achievements with the United States women's national soccer team. During her ten-year career, spanning 1987 to 1996, she earned 117 caps and scored 53 goals.

1991 World Cup During the early 1990s, Jennings-Gabarra was part of the national team's "Triple-Edged Sword". The term, coined by the Chinese media during the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, included two other prolific scorers, April Heinrichs and Michelle Akers. Of those three players, Akers scored ten goals at the World Cup to claim the Golden Boot, while Jennings-Gabarra added six as the tournament's second-leading scorer. Jennings helped the U.S. national team win the first FIFA Women's World Cup.

Jennings-Gabarra is renowned for her remarkable ball control, imagination, dribbling skills and feints on the wing, as well as her ability to create chances out of nothing. Her distinctive gait earned her the sobriquets "Crazy Legs" and "Gumby".

Also an effective goalscorer, she struck a 23-minute hat-trick against Germany to put the United States 3–0 ahead in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup semi-final. The Los Angeles Times reported that "Carin Jennings, the ponytailed winger from Palos Verdes, tore the Germans to shreds". In 1999 Assistant coach Lauren Gregg hailed Jennings-Gabarra's performance against Germany as the single greatest ever by an American player.

Jennings-Gabarra epitomizes the speed, fitness, and mental strength coach Anson Dorrance demanded of his players. "Before every game, Anson would challenge us, asking us which of us was going to make the difference. I always wanted to be that player." Teammates saw Jennings-Gabarra as setting the standard for the group.

In 2000, Gabarra was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2003, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Personal life In 1992, Gabarra married U.S. men's national team player Jim Gabarra. They have two daughters and one son. Gabarra is a member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Advisory Council, the U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council, and the Maryland Physical Fitness Council.

Awards and honors World Cup Winner 1991

Olympic Gold Medal 1996

US National Amateur Cup 1992, 1993

California Prep MVP 1981, 1982, 1983

High School All American 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

NCAA Division I All American 1984, 1985, 1986

FIFA World Cup Golden Ball 1991

US Soccer Athlete of the Year 1987, 1992

U.S. Olympic Player of the Year 1987, 1992

National Soccer Medal of Honor 2001

Hall of Fame National Soccer Hall of Fame U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame American Youth Soccer Organization Hall of Fame

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 18 April 1991 Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti 11–0 12–0 1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship 2. 22 April 1991 ?–0 10–0 3. ?–0 4. 25 April 1991 ?–0 10–0 5. ?–0 6. 17 November 1991 Ying Tung Stadium, Guangzhou, China 1–0 3–2 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup 7. 2–0 8. 19 November 1991 3–0 5–0 9. 27 November 1991 Guangdong Provincial Stadium, Guangzhou, China 1–0 5–2 10. 2–0 11. 3–0