.jpg) Boxx in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Shannon Leigh Boxx Spearman[1] | ||
| Birth name | Shannon Leigh Boxx[2] | ||
| Date of birth | (1977-06-29)June 29, 1977 (age 48)[3] | ||
| Place of birth | Fontana, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1998 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 101 | (39) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994 | Ajax of Los Angeles | ||
| 1999 | Boston Renegades | ||
| 1999–2000 | 1. FC Saarbrücken | ||
| 2000 | Ajax of Los Angeles | ||
| 2001–2002 | San Diego Spirit | 41 | (5) |
| 2003 | New York Power | 21 | (1) |
| 2005 | Ajax of Los Angeles | ||
| 2009 | Los Angeles Sol | 19 | (3) |
| 2010 | Saint Louis Athletica | 6 | (1) |
| 2010 | FC Gold Pride | 14 | (0) |
| 2011 | magicJack | 10 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Chicago Red Stars | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2015 | United States | 195 | (27) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Shannon Leigh Boxx Spearman (née Boxx; born June 29, 1977) is an American retired soccer player and former member of theUnited States women's national soccer team, playing thedefensive midfielder position. She last played club soccer for theChicago Red Stars in the AmericanNational Women's Soccer League. She won gold medals with the United States at the2004 Athens Olympics,2008 Beijing Olympics, and2012 London Olympics. She has also finished third place or better with the US at the2003,2007,2011 and2015 FIFA Women's World Cups. She was a finalist for the2005 FIFA World Player of the Year award, and won anNCAA Women's Soccer Championship withNotre Dame in 1995. Shannon Boxx announced her retirement from international and club soccer after winning the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[4] She played her last game on October 21, 2015, when the USWNT tied with Brazil as part of their victory tour.[5]
Boxx is the younger sister ofGillian Boxx, who won a gold medal at the1996 Olympics with the United States softball team.[6]
Boxx was diagnosed withlupus in 2007 when she was 30 years old, and went public with her diagnosis shortly before the2012 London Olympics at which she won gold with the United States team.[7]
In 2020, Boxx joined the ownership group ofAngel City FC of theNational Women's Soccer League.[8]
In 2022, Boxx was inducted into theNational Soccer Hall of Fame.[9]
Themultiracial Boxx, whose biological father wasBlack, was raised by herwhite single mother in Southern California. In a 2008 interview, she remembered that she had little contact with her African American heritage until she went toNotre Dame:[10]
For me, I really learned about my other half. I took African American studies. I majored in it. I think that was one of the best things I could have ever done. My mom couldn't teach me those things. So I went and taught myself and learned those things when I was at Notre Dame.
From U/12-U/18,[11] Boxx played for the Torrance United Waves Soccer Club,Torrance, California, and helped to lead them to 4 State Cup Championships and two trips to the USYSA National Championship Final Four in 1993 and 1994[12][13] at U/17 and U/19.
From 1991 to 1995, Boxx attendedSouth Torrance High School, where she was a four-sport athlete, playing soccer, volleyball, softball and basketball. She was named to theParade All-America team for girls' soccer in 1995.[14]
Boxx played for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish from 1995 to 1998. She helped the team win the school's firstNCAA Women's Soccer Championship in 1995, beating defending championsNorth Carolina in the semifinal. Boxx was named to the All-Big East team in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and is tied for the most soccer games played for the Irish at 101 games.[14]
| College | GP/GS | Goals | Assists | Total points | Win–loss–tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame 1995 | 25/21 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 21–2–2 |
| Notre Dame 1996 | 26/25 | 12 | 16 | 40 | 24–2–0 |
| Notre Dame 1997 | 25/25 | 13 | 17 | 43 | 23–1–1 |
| Notre Dame 1998 | 25/25 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 21–3–1 |
In 1999, Boxx played for theBoston Renegades of theW-League, and then went to Germany to play for1. FC Saarbrücken in thewomen's Bundesliga. However, she was unhappy and considered retiring from soccer.[15]
In 2001,Women's United Soccer Association began play, and Boxx was drafted by theSan Diego Spirit in the third round of the entry draft, with the 19th pick overall.[14]
In the 2001 season, Boxx started all 21 matches for the Spirit, missing 20 minutes of the entire season, and was named to the All-WUSA team.[15] However, her playing time was reduced the following season, and in September 2002, she was sent to theNew York Power, in a six-player trade that gave San Diego the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, used to selectAly Wagner.[16]
With New York, Boxx returned to form, starting all 21 games, scoring once and assisting a career-high eight times, and was named to the 2003 All-WUSA squad.[17] Formerwomen's national team coach and league commissionerTony DiCicco called Boxx "the best in our league at (defensive midfield) – physical, strong, technical".[15]
| WUSA | GP/GS | MIN | Goals | Assists | Total points | Win–loss–tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Spirit 2001 | 21/21 | 1870 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 7–7–7 |
| San Diego Spirit 2002 | 20/15 | 1349 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5–11–5 |
| New York Power 2003 | 21/21 | 1868 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 7–9–5 |
In 2009, Boxx signed to theLos Angeles Sol for the inaugural season ofWomen's Professional Soccer and was named team captain. She started in 18 of the 19 matches she played for the Sol, scoring three goals with three assists. Boxx was named to the WPS First Team and played in the WPS All-Star Game. The Sol finished in first place during the regular season with a 12–3–5 record.[14]
In 2010, she was signed to theSaint Louis Athletica during theLos Angeles Sol dispersal draft.[18]
Later in the season afterSaint Louis Athletica folded, she was traded to theFC Gold Pride.[19] Boxx helped the team win the WPS regular season title and championship. She started in 19 of the 20 games she played in, while scoring one goal and providing five assists. She was a WPS All-Star Game starter and received the fifth overall votes.[14]
For the2011 WPS season, Boxx signed withmagicJack and played 833 minutes in 10 games starting in them all. She helped the club make a run to the playoffs in the second half of the season and win the quarterfinal match against theBoston Breakers.[14]
In 2013, she joinedChicago Red Stars in the newNational Women's Soccer League. Due to injury Boxx played 2 matches in 2013, played in 5 matches in 2014 due to pregnancy and birth of her first child, and in 2015 played 4 times dueWorld Cup duties. On July 27, 2015, Boxx announced retirement from NWSL and Red Stars effective immediately.[20]
Although Boxx was a member of the United States Under-21 national team pool, she did not receive her first senior cap until August 2003, whenU.S. national team coachApril Heinrichs named her to the team's2003 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, making her the first uncapped player to be named to a U.S. Women's World Cup squad.[17] Prior to the call-up, following the suspension ofWUSA, Boxx had planned to take a coaching position atCal State-Dominguez Hills and pursue a graduate degree atPepperdine University.[17]
Boxx scored a goal in each of the two pre-World Cup friendlies, againstCosta Rica andMexico, and in the opening match of the World Cup againstSweden, Boxx became the first American woman to score three goals in her first three matches with the national team.[15]
Boxx started five matches at the Women's World Cup, scoring again againstCanada in the third place match. She was voted the player of the match against Canada by the FIFA Technical Study Group, who said Boxx "seized control of the game, spurred on her team-mates and finally scored the decisive goal in USA's victory".[6]
Boxx started 31 of 32 national team matches she played in 2004, including all six matches at the2004 Olympics, where she scored a goal, assisted on another and helped the team win a gold medal.[14] She scored eight goals over the course of the year, including ahat trick againstTrinidad and Tobago in an Olympic qualifying match. Boxx came in seventh in the voting for the2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
In 2005, Boxx started all nine matches US national team matches, playing all but 23 minutes of all matches played. She was a finalist for the2005 FIFA World Player of the Year, coming in third behindBirgit Prinz andMarta.[21]
Boxx missed most of 2006, first for surgery to repair torn cartilage in her right hip, and then for tornmedial collateral ligaments she suffered on her first day back in training with the national team.[22] She returned in 2007 after an eight-month layoff, and was named to the United States' squad for the2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Boxx helped the team reach the semifinal match againstBrazil, but she was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, and the United States went on to lose 4–0.[23]Boxx played every minute of all five U.S. games in the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
In 2011, she played in all but one of the World Cup games, earning defensive team honors for her efforts throughout the tournament. During the World Cup final againstJapan, which went to overtime penalty shoot-out, Boxx was one of the Americans elected to take one of the penalty kicks, and had her shot saved by Japan's goalkeeperAyumi Kaihori.[24]
| National team | GP/GS | MIN | Goals | Assists | Total points | Win–loss–tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 9/9 | 762 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 7–1–1 |
| 2004 | 32/31 | 2714 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 26–2–4 |
| 2005 | 9/9 | 733 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8–0–1 |
| 2006 | 9/9 | 793 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6–0–3 |
| 2007 | 10/8 | 623 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10–0–0 |
| 2008 | 33/33 | 2747 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 34–1–1 |
| 2009 | 8/7 | 614 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7–0–1 |
| 2010 | 18/18 | 1399 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 7–1–1 |
| 2011 | 17/17 | 1344 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13–3–4 |
| 2012 | 27/23 | 1836 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 27–1–3 |
(*Correct as of December 15, 2012[update])
| Key(expand for notes on "international goals" and sorting) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name |
| Lineup | Start – played entire match onminute (offplayer) – substituted on at theminute indicated, andplayer was substituted off at the same time offminute (onplayer) – substituted off at theminute indicated, andplayer was substituted on at the same time |
| # | NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation toGoal in match) |
| Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
| Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, whichassisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
| penalty orpk | Goal scored onpenalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
| Score | The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team |
| Result | The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation |
| aet | The score at the end ofextra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
| pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parentheses; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
| Green background color –exhibition or closed door international friendly match | |
| Yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament | |
| Red background color – Olympic women's football qualification match | |
| Pink background color – Olympic women's football tournament | |
| Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament | |
NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player | |
| Date | Location | Opponent | Lineup | # | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003-09-01[m 1] | Carson |  Costa Rica | Start | 1.1 | 53 | Julie Foudy | 5350.03005 3–0 | 5550.05005 5–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 2003-09-07[m 2] | San Jose |  Mexico | 61. | 1.1 | 10 | Julie Foudy | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5550.05005 5–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 2003-09-21[m 3] | Washington |  Sweden | Start | 1.1 | 78 | Mia Hamm | 5250.03005 3–1 | 5250.03005 3–1 | World Cup: Group A |
| 4 | 2003-10-11[m 4] | Carson |  Canada | Start | 1.1 | 51 | Mia Hamm | 5150.02005 2–1 | 5250.03005 3–1 | World Cup: third place match |
| 5 | 2004-01-30[m 5] | Shenzhen | Sweden | Start | 1.1 | 13 | Kristine Lilly | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Four Nations Tournament |
| 6 | 2004-02-25[m 6] | San Jose |  Trinidad & Tobago | Start | 3.1 | 22 | Abby Wambach | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5750.07005 7–0 | Olympic qualification |
| 7 | 3.2 | 37 | Mia Hamm | 5350.03005 3–0 | ||||||
| 8 | 3.3 | 81 | Aly Wagner | 5750.07005 7–0 | ||||||
| 9 | 2004-03-03[m 7] | San Jose | Costa Rica | 60. | 1.1 | 51 | Shannon MacMillan | 5450.04005 4–0 | 5450.04005 4–0 | Olympic qualification: semifinal |
| 10 | 2004-07-21[m 8] | Blaine |  Australia | 45. | 1.1 | 56 | Mia Hamm | 5050.01005 1–1 | 5250.03005 3–1 | Friendly |
| 11 | 2004-08-11[m 9] | Heralklio |  Greece | Start | 1.1 | 14 | Mia Hamm | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Olympics: Group G |
| 12 | 2004-12-08[m 10] | Carson | Mexico | Start | 1.1 | 44 | unassisted | 5450.04005 4–0 | 5550.05005 5–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 2005-07-23[m 11] | Carson |  Iceland | 82. | 1.1 | 69 | Abby Wambach | 5350.03005 3–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 2006-01-18[m 12] | Guangzhou |  Norway | Start | 1.1 | 77 | Kristine Lilly | 5250.02005 2–0 | 5250.03005 3–1 | Four Nations Tournament |
| 15 | 2007-07-28[m 13] | San Jose |  Japan | 85. | 1.1 | 17 | Stephanie Lopez | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5350.04005 4–1 | Friendly |
| 16 | 2007-08-25[m 14] | Carson |  Finland | 79. | 1.1 | 30 | Kristine Lilly | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5450.04005 4–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 2007-09-22[m 15] | Tianjin |  England | 82. | 1.1 | 57 | Cat Whitehill | 5250.02005 2–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | World Cup: quarterfinal |
| 18 | 2008-01-20[m 16] | Guangzhou |  China | Start | 1.1 | 77 | Becky Sauerbrunn | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5150.01005 1–0 | Four Nations Tournament |
| 19 | 2009-03-11[m 17] | Faro | Sweden | Start | 1.1 | 90 | Megan Rapinoe | 5050.01005 1–1 | 5049.0103 1–1(pso 3–4) | Algarve Cup: final |
| 20 | 2009-05-25[m 18] | Toronto | Canada | Start | 1.1 | 2 | Heather Mitts | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5450.04005 4–0 | Friendly |
| 21 | 2010-03-28[m 19] | San Diego | Mexico | Start; (c) | 1.1 | 43 | unassisted | 5250.02005 2–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Friendly |
| 22 | 2011-03-07[m 20] | Quarteira | Finland | 45. | 1.1 | 8 | Carli Lloyd | 5150.01005 1–0 | 5450.04005 4–0 | Algarve Cup: Group A |
| 23 | 2012-04-03[m 21] | Chiba |  Brazil | Start | 1.1 | 23 | Lauren Holiday | 5250.02005 2–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Kirin Challenge Cup |
| 24 | 2012-09-16[m 22] | Carson | Australia | 45. | 1.1 | 63 | penalty | 5150.02005 2–1 | 5150.02005 2–1 | Friendly |
| 25 | 2012-09-19[m 23] | Commerce | Australia | 45. | 1.1 | 63 | Megan Rapinoe | 5350.05005 5–2 | 5450.06005 6–2 | Friendly |
| 26 | 2013-02-09[m 24] | Jacksonville |  Scotland | 66. | 1.1 | 52 | Christen Press | 5350.03005 3–0 | 5350.04005 4–1 | Friendly |
| 27 | 2013-03-06[m 25] | Albufeira | Iceland | Start | 1.1 | 62 | Christie Rampone | 5250.02005 2–0 | 5350.03005 3–0 | Algarve Cup: Group B |
Boxx was featured along with her national teammates in theEA Sports' FIFA video game series inFIFA 16, the first time women players were included in the game.[25]
Following the United States' win at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Boxx and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with aticker-tape parade in New York City.[26] Each player received a key to the city from MayorBill de Blasio.[27] In October of the same year, the team was honored byPresident Barack Obama at theWhite House.[28]
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