Monica Gonzalez was a founding member in 1998 of the Mexican Women’s National team. She helped lead the team in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In addition, the native from Richardson, Texas played for the Mexican National Team for 13 years and was captain from 2003-07. During her career, Gonzalez started in 83 international games and scored 10 goals.

A former All-America and Academic All-America player at Notre Dame University, she helped lead the Fighting Irish to three NCAA final four appearances.

In 2011, she was hired by ESPN as a studio analyst for the 2011 Women’s World Cup and has since become a sideline reporter for Major League Soccer. She has also announced games for NBC Universo and Fox Deportes and, in 2016, was the only woman calling games in the UEFA Champions League.

©Monica Gonzalez

The Texan is the founder of Gonzo Soccer, a not-for-profit soccer and leadership academy for girls in ages 8-16 from Chicago’s undeserved inner-city communities. She is also an active supporter of the Women’s Sports Foundation and remains dedicated to promoting women’s soccer in Mexico. What started as a soccer clinic in the lower west side of Chicago in 2009, the program now helps more than 900 girls worldwide, with academies in the U.S, Mexico and Colombia.

Gonzalez joined other ex-professionals and The Equal Playing Field (EPF) Initiative and climbed Mount Kilamanjaro to play the highest 90-minute match ever recorded to raise awareness for gender inequality.