| Champions of the World! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Akers | Brandi Chastain | Tracy Ducar | Lorrie Fair | Joy Fawcett |
| Danielle Fotopoulos | Julie Foudy | Mia Hamm | Kristine Lilly | Shannon MacMillan |
| Tiffeny Milbrett | Carla Overbeck | Cindy Parlow | Christie Pearce | Tiffany Roberts |
| Briana Scurry | Kate Sobrero | Tisha Venturini | Saskia Webber | Sara Whalen |
Wow! What a game! Saturday, July 10, 1999 our team defeated their nemesis, the Chinese, and took back the championship of the world.
We watched the game at first from home, but during half-time we headed to a restaurant to see it in the bar with other fans. We didn't go to a sports-bar, just a nice steakhouse, but there were still fans in attendance. All the TV's were on the women as we arrived. We were barely able to eat, the action was intense. Unlike some games, like basketball, where there are frequently more than 200 points scored in a single game, soccer is very low scoring. But that doesn't make it less tense, just the opposite. Because every goal is so very significant, you feel like you're constantly on the edge of your seat.
The game went into one overtime, then two. Finally, it came down to a series of penalty kicks (no ties allowed here!) All our kickers were able to elude the Chinese goalie. What made the difference was the one goal Briana Scurry was able to deflect, giving us a 5-4 advantage in this tiebreaker. We won. We squeaked past what was undeniably the strongest of our challengers.
Why is this a big deal? Most Americans couldn't care less about soccer, let alone women's soccer. Well, it's significant because we need this sort of event to change the perception that "women's sports" is an oxymoron. This is a big deal because it opens up more opportunities for women in sports and in life in general. Like it or not (and I suspect they do like it) these women are pioneers and role models. By being so damn good, they demand respect. They are the best team in the world at a sport where the USA has been used to being humiliated (until fairly recently). But finally, the sweat of millions of little girls playing AYSO soccer on Saturday afternoons has paid off. The fact that it has become acceptable for women to be athletes and even respectable has increased the money from sponsors and TV. Now we can field a team full of champions. A team that even if they don't always win, we can be proud to call "our team."
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