I was only four but I remember watching rerun after rerun and it was amazing of how much of an impact it had on me. Watch Dare To Dream its a great movie!!!!
i was a nine year old kid, watching in awe. i only remember the last play, as does everyone else. my mom had gone to the game, but wasnt able to get tickets for me and my sister. '99 is a year i will never forget. im glad i got to take my picture with the world cup when it came to STL recently. thanks to the Womens Team for such an amazing game, womens soccer is still going strong. thank you! girls all over the world can dream big because of what the US womens team accomplished that day.
How can I forget 99? I was in high school when I watched the World Cup, and I remember it being THE thing to watch that summer. I remember thinking to myself that these women have done something so extraordinary, and the only thing I wanted to do was go to a game and watch it live. What they have done and what they have been able to offer has been perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments not only for womens sports, but for all sports. They are truly and amazing group of women! I also got to take a picture with the actual 99 World Cup trophy in Maryland this past weekend. After 10 years I'm glad to say that I 'am still a huge fan of womens soccer.
When we found out the World Cup was going to be in the U.S., three soccer friends and I pledged to attend the gold medal game no matter where it was held. A year and a half later, when the first opportunity presented itself, I purchased five $100 tickets to the Rose Bowl game (my Mom, a diehard soccer fan, came with us). We met out in Cali and soaked in the amazing atmosphere and energy of the stadium and celebrated the U.S. victory. I like to tell my son that he was there too because I was 10 weeks pregnant at the time. Glad to be able to say.."I was there!"
It was so amazing, to be that stadium with 150,000 (?) other people all watching fantastic, talented teams of WOMEN play. It felt like I had waited my whole life for the moment when finally "we" got game!
What an Amazing group of Women and what they did for Soccer is still today unbelieveable... I have met several of the teams members and they are all so greacious when approached, I have seen several of the National Team Games over the Years, and everythime I have gone even at my age I am amazed at what these Women have done and still do.. The 99 Games where unbelieveable, and I remember the Day they Beat China, I was in the Dallas Fort Worth Airport waiting for my plane, when someone had yelled out they the American's have won, then I ran to a TV set at a sports Bar in the Air Port and they had shown Brandi Chastain kicking the winning Goal, and when she took off her shirt I was smiling Proudly.. And at the same time thought, she will get torn apart for that, but who cared look at what they did and she had done.... I have Coached Soccer for 23 yers at the Varsity Level, I love this game with a Passion. And have sent many away over the years to play the game in college. From Jr College to NAIA to DIV. 1 and can say I am proud of all who went to play and have returned to help me Coach...
I was at the Los Angels Sol game yesterday, and i was lucky enough to talk with Mia Hamm. It was a quick hello, not much more than that, but it was cool being able to stand with someone who has done so much for the game of soccer.
I don't remember much from the games themselves. I was only 10, so my attention span was pretty short. I was lucky enough to attend the game in Chicago and the 7-1 owning of Nigeria was perfect in keeping my attention. But what I do remember the cultural impact of the event. I remember discussing with my friends what our favorite commercials were because they didn't just play during game time or on ESPN. Those commercials were played on every channel and constantly. I remember going to the grocery store after they won and looking at the magazines at the checkout lanes. Every single one had them on the cover. That was pretty powerful.
I remember the '99 WWC for several reasons. The biggest one that stands out was the fact that I only saw one game at home. The others I was traveling (so i missed them) or on vacation. I was pretty busy for someone getting ready to enter their freshman year in high school, I guess. Anywho, to be more specific, the 2 games I got really into was the Germany game and the finale against China.
Germany vs USA: I was in Dallas visiting my dad's apartment (he had a very strange work situation, so we had a place in Dallas and Kansas) for a small vacation before our bigger one to come just a few days later. We planned our drive home so we could watch the game. I remember pacing and yelling at the t.v. after the own goal - only to get into slight trouble by my father who was trying to keep me quiet so we didn't disturb his neighbors. my mother just laughed (thanks, Mom). Then, in the last minutes, when Shannon MacMillan sent a driven corner to Joy Fawcett who then put in the glancing header... I again was in a bit of trouble for being loud... again. I pretty much lived and died with the emotions of the game. It was a great moment.
The final was something of a screwy thing. I was on a plane. Flying to Seattle. We landed, and boarded the van that took us to our rental. The driver asked if we liked soccer and turned up the radio and there was a broadcast of the game. I remember yelling to turn it down... knowing there was going to e a replay later of the game thanks to the sport-world wonder that is ESPN. He (the driver) chuckled and turned it down. So, my celebration was delayed a few hours, and it was much more quiet than that of my elation during the Germany game. To cap things off, we had baseball tickets to the Seattle Mariners game a couple days later (2nd ever game in Safeco Field - beautiful!), and who threw out the first pitch? None other than the legendary Michelle Akers. That was a sweet surprise. She was signing autographs beforehand, but had to go back to the staging area before she got to me. I missed out on meeting a legend by awesome coincidence and bad timing. Such is my luck.
Then, I hadn't really thought of the magnitude of the whole situation. I knew that there were a lot of people in attendance, but I just naturally compared it to the likes of a men's championship. I was just excited that I was going to be able to watch more soccer on... PAX... but still, more soccer. Today, with "round two" off to a fantastic start after an equally fascinating championship victory, it's easier for me to see how massive an impact that game - that tournament had on women's sports here in the States and around the world. It was that spark that flung the door open for a bright future for the young ladies everywhere.
Following the '99 World Cup was like riding a wave . . . I'd bought my tickets to the Rose Bowl game within seconds of them becoming available online, but there was always the sense that I was rooting for something that the average sports fan just didn't appreciate.
But watching one U.S. game after another played before sellout crowds was exhilirating. It was a perfect storm, a U.S. team dominating the rest of the world, at a time of year when there weren't a lot of other big events to crowd it off the front page of the nation's newspaper sports sections.
I'll always remember the day of the championship game, arriving early to take my midfield seat, and spending the next six hours baking in the sun at the Rose Bowl. Between the third-place game and the championship game, there wasn't a single goal scored, and I had the sagging feeling that after all of the positive attention given to women's soccer, the soccer haters would simply be laughing the next day, and the average fan would lose interest.
But I hadn't counted on the power and the drama of the penalty kick shootout. Years later, few remember much about the championship game itself, save for Kristine Lilly's game-saving clearance off the goal line in overtime. But Briana Scurry's save and Brandi Chastain's jersey-doffing moment are ingrained in the memorites of all sports fans, not just the soccer aficionados.
The Woman's World Cup '99 had THE best poster that defined everything that female soccer players around the world were feeling at the time....Their slogan: This is MY game, This is MY future, WATCH ME PLAY!
I was lucky enough to work in venue ops at the Rose Bowl for the final game and have a wall size vinyl poster still hanging in my garage that says:
"The WWC is all about aspirations. The aspirations of their parents for their daughters. And the aspirations of women for other women. Talk to young women who play soccer and they will tell you of their love for the game. It demands speed, grace and endurance and rewards these skills over size and brute strength. .....For many young women today, their participation on a soccer team is one of their key formative experiences. Such a generation has never existed before....The 1999 FIFA WCC is about soccer at its highest level as well as a celebration of the new role of young women in sports and society. This is my game. This is my future, Watch me play. This theme is designed to capture the importance of the event to the women who will compete and to the girls inthe stands who aspire to compete in the future. It also speaks to the parents about the importance of the sports experience in building character and confidence in their daughters. The 1999 FIFA WWC is not a simple sporting event. it is a moment in time to mark the momentous changes in the lives of the girls of the past generation and set the sights for those to come."
Kudos to the writer and how profound! The WWC was a magical moment! Can't believe its been 10 years!
For those of us who watched it and now look back, the women's game and in fact women's sport has never been the same. We see more of it all on TV, print, etc. Well done you pioneers of the game.
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Germany vs USA: I was in Dallas visiting my dad's apartment (he had a very strange work situation, so we had a place in Dallas and Kansas) for a small vacation before our bigger one to come just a few days later. We planned our drive home so we could watch the game. I remember pacing and yelling at the t.v. after the own goal - only to get into slight trouble by my father who was trying to keep me quiet so we didn't disturb his neighbors. my mother just laughed (thanks, Mom). Then, in the last minutes, when Shannon MacMillan sent a driven corner to Joy Fawcett who then put in the glancing header... I again was in a bit of trouble for being loud... again. I pretty much lived and died with the emotions of the game. It was a great moment.
The final was something of a screwy thing. I was on a plane. Flying to Seattle. We landed, and boarded the van that took us to our rental. The driver asked if we liked soccer and turned up the radio and there was a broadcast of the game. I remember yelling to turn it down... knowing there was going to e a replay later of the game thanks to the sport-world wonder that is ESPN. He (the driver) chuckled and turned it down. So, my celebration was delayed a few hours, and it was much more quiet than that of my elation during the Germany game. To cap things off, we had baseball tickets to the Seattle Mariners game a couple days later (2nd ever game in Safeco Field - beautiful!), and who threw out the first pitch? None other than the legendary Michelle Akers. That was a sweet surprise. She was signing autographs beforehand, but had to go back to the staging area before she got to me. I missed out on meeting a legend by awesome coincidence and bad timing. Such is my luck.
Then, I hadn't really thought of the magnitude of the whole situation. I knew that there were a lot of people in attendance, but I just naturally compared it to the likes of a men's championship. I was just excited that I was going to be able to watch more soccer on... PAX... but still, more soccer. Today, with "round two" off to a fantastic start after an equally fascinating championship victory, it's easier for me to see how massive an impact that game - that tournament had on women's sports here in the States and around the world. It was that spark that flung the door open for a bright future for the young ladies everywhere.
But watching one U.S. game after another played before sellout crowds was exhilirating. It was a perfect storm, a U.S. team dominating the rest of the world, at a time of year when there weren't a lot of other big events to crowd it off the front page of the nation's newspaper sports sections.
I'll always remember the day of the championship game, arriving early to take my midfield seat, and spending the next six hours baking in the sun at the Rose Bowl. Between the third-place game and the championship game, there wasn't a single goal scored, and I had the sagging feeling that after all of the positive attention given to women's soccer, the soccer haters would simply be laughing the next day, and the average fan would lose interest.
But I hadn't counted on the power and the drama of the penalty kick shootout. Years later, few remember much about the championship game itself, save for Kristine Lilly's game-saving clearance off the goal line in overtime. But Briana Scurry's save and Brandi Chastain's jersey-doffing moment are ingrained in the memorites of all sports fans, not just the soccer aficionados.
I was lucky enough to work in venue ops at the Rose Bowl for the final game and have a wall size vinyl poster still hanging in my garage that says:
"The WWC is all about aspirations. The aspirations of their parents for their daughters. And the aspirations of women for other women. Talk to young women who play soccer and they will tell you of their love for the game. It demands speed, grace and endurance and rewards these skills over size and brute strength. .....For many young women today, their participation on a soccer team is one of their key formative experiences. Such a generation has never existed before....The 1999 FIFA WCC is about soccer at its highest level as well as a celebration of the new role of young women in sports and society. This is my game. This is my future, Watch me play. This theme is designed to capture the importance of the event to the women who will compete and to the girls inthe stands who aspire to compete in the future. It also speaks to the parents about the importance of the sports experience in building character and confidence in their daughters. The 1999 FIFA WWC is not a simple sporting event. it is a moment in time to mark the momentous changes in the lives of the girls of the past generation and set the sights for those to come."
Kudos to the writer and how profound! The WWC was a magical moment! Can't believe its been 10 years!
Thanks for letting me share....Janice
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