MIAMI, Florida – There have been many triumphs in women’s football in the Concacaf region in the last 60 years, and no bigger protagonist in that arena has been the United States Women’s National Team.
The U.S. have claimed an astounding four FIFA Women’s World Cups dating back to the inaugural edition in 1991, which was the first of their four crowns.
But perhaps it was eight years later that a true revolution in women’s football in Concacaf took hold when the U.S. hosted the 1999 Women’s World Cup on home soil.
From coast to coast, over 1.1 million fans packed stadiums to watch 16 teams participate in the tournament, sparking an interest in the women’s game that has grown with each year.
After a perfect group stage in which they earned nine points from all three games, the U.S. had to rally from a second half 2-1 deficit to defeat Germany, 3-2, in the quarterfinals before downing Brazil, 2-0, in the semifinal.
That set up an emotionally-charged date with China in the Final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in front of 90,185 fans, a record for an international women’s sporting event.
A key member of the U.S. team was MF Julie Foudy, who had a goal in four assists as the U.S. forged their way through the tournament.
“As a team collectively, you feel warm joy and relief for all the work you put into something like that. Just getting to the final, getting to that point, and then we had to shift the focus to: it’s not just good enough to get there because the tournament benefits, but we want to be on top of that podium. I didn’t want to be second,” recalled Foudy in a 2020 interview with Concacaf.com.
“And because it was so much work to get there, the emotion of it when the Blue Angels flew over our heads, the national anthem and all the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony, I remember thinking, ‘I cannot let myself get emotional.’ That moment when you are listening to your national anthem before a game always gets you; this one in particular I remember having to fight back tears because you really can’t go out and play after that,” said Foudy.
In the first Women’s World Cup played in the Concacaf region, the U.S. and China went toe-to-toe in a scoreless 90 minutes, resulting in extra time. It was well into the extra period when China DF Fan Yunjie looked set to score with a header off a corner kick. But appearing at the right place and time was U.S. MF Kristine Lilly, who headed the ball off the line, before Brandi Chastain cleared it from danger.
In what was the most important match of their lives and in one of the most pressure-packed situations, the amazing spirit and character of the U.S. team surfaced.
“Lil’ heads the ball off the line, there are several Chinese players right there to get on the rebound, but then Brandi bikes the ball away, so then Lil’ and I are running out together and we look at each other and I start cracking up,” said Foudy.
“I said, ‘Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you for saving the game!’ And I said it laughing. And then she starts laughing, so this moment when we almost lost the World Cup, we were actually on the field laughing as we were running out. The two of us to this day still giggle about that,” added Foudy.
Being able to handle that kind of pressure paid major dividends for the U.S. in the penalty shootout, with GK Brianna Scurry stopping Liu Ying’s attempt, allowing Chastain to stroke home the winning penalty for a 5-4 shootout triumph and a second Women’s World Cup title for the U.S.
Reflecting on that memorable summer, Foudy understands the impact and significance it had on women’s football.
“When we had the 20th anniversary [in 2019], that was neat because you get together and you’re reflecting on it and people are talking about their moments. Everyone has a story of where they were and they want to share it with you. When they find out you played on that team, they want to tell you about the bar they were in, or the wedding that stopped so people could watch it. There are so many great stories, but it feels like a lifetime ago. It was a part of my life, and a great part of my life,” said Foudy.
