Outsiders Of The Year

Forty-two athletes, activists, hustlers, makers, movers, and rule breakers who shaped our world in 2019, from the champion soccer team fighting for equality in sports to the teenager inspiring a wave of global climate activism to the humble farming couple reminding us where food really comes from.

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U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

ATHLETES DOMINATING THE PITCH AND FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY

U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM

ATHLETES DOMINATING THE PITCH AND FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY

They move across the field as one, shifting with the ball, actions precisely calibrated. A beautiful, brutally efficient machine. And an unbeatable one.

The U.S. Women’s National Team stormed through the World Cup this summer, never once trailing in a game, ending the monthlong contest with a championship trophy. They became back-to-back World Cup winners. Their opener, a 13–0 rout of Thailand, was the most lopsided victory in World Cup history. At a time when women’s soccer has never been more competitive, they scored 26 goals over the course of the tournament, double the amount of the next-highest-scoring team. And they did it while waging an off-the-field battle against gender discrimination.