Memorable summer of ‘99 helped change women’s sports

At the time, it seemed special. A decade later, it seems miraculous.

Not the result. The response.

Ten years ago today, on a sweltering afternoon in Pasadena, Calif., the United States won a women's soccer match against China and the nation -- much of it, certainly -- rejoiced.

The Americans' 5-4 victory in a penalty-kick shootout with nothing less than the World Cup at stake attached a shimmering exclamation point to perhaps the most remarkable three weeks in the history of women's sports in the United States.

From June 19 through July 10, 1999, the American public cared -- deeply, passionately, emotionally -- about the Women's National Team and the games it played. Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain became household names. Chastain's black sports bra, exposed when she pulled off her white No.6 jersey in a moment of glee after scoring the winning goal against China, became a pop-culture icon. More than 90,000 fans filled the Rose Bowl for the final. An estimated 40 million watched on U.S. television.

Never before had America responded in such fashion to any women's team. Nor has it done so since.

Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, the co-head coach of the Virginia Commonwealth University women's soccer team, experienced the phenomenon from the inside. Roberts, a midfielder, appeared in 110 matches while playing with the National Team from 1994-2004. She shared her memories of the summer of'99 with the Times-Dispatch.

Q.When did it first become apparent to you as players that the public was prepared to unconditionally embrace this team? A.You have to understand. At my first World Cup (1995 in Sweden) there were only a few hundred fans in the stands. So we were hoping for the best, but really we had absolutely no idea what to expect. I don't think I'll ever forget the day of our first game (June 19 at Giants Stadium). We're on the bus, driving to the game, and everybody is saying, 'Oh, my gosh. Are you kidding me? Where'd all this traffic come from?' We had no idea it was for us. It never occurred to us.

Then we pulled into the parking lot, and it was already filling up. We saw all the fans wearing red, white and blue. They were cooking out. They were having tailgate parties. We saw all the little kids with their faces painted. People were going crazy -- cheering, waving -- when they saw the bus. I think that's when it hit us: 'Wow. This has a chance to be something kind of special.' Q.So you were surprised? A.We were blown away. And the thing was, the first game was just the beginning. From there, it just seemed to snowball. You had to be there to really appreciate it. To see those young girls, to see the looks on their faces when you signed an autograph for them or gave them a hug or a high-five . . . sometimes they'd start to cry. Sometimes you'd think they were going to go crazy. It was amazing. Just amazing. And then it reached a point where it wasn't just young girls. It was parents. It was fathers with their daughters. It was families. It was older men and young women. They all wanted a hug or a high-five. Q.The obvious question, then, is: Why? Why and how did that team so thoroughly capture an entire county's heart? A.I'm not sure I can give you a nice, neat, philosophical answer. All I can say is, everything came together perfectly. It was like we were the perfect team in the perfect place at the perfect moment. Maybe people thought it was refreshing, finally, to see women in the spotlight. Maybe it was the message: That it's possible to sweat and be athletic and be kick-butt competitive and still be feminine and attractive. Which is funny, in a way, because when I was growing up, my mother used to worry about me playing soccer. She was afraid I wouldn't look good in high heels because my legs would get too big and muscular. Q.Is there a particular image, a particular memory from that World Cup, that you've carried with you for the past 10 years? A.Wow. There are a lot -- enough to full a mental album, probably. But the one that really stands out is from the final. We're in (sudden-death) overtime. It's hot. Everybody's tired. I'm sitting on the bench with Tisha (Venturini). China has a corner kick and it looks like they're going to score. We saw (Fan Yunjie's header) go past (U.S. goalkeeper Briana Scurry), and Tisha and I both kind of slumped back on the bench like, 'Well, that's it.' Then -- almost from out of nowhere, it seemed -- here comes [Kristine Lilly] to head the ball away. Tisha and I went crazy. You can probably still see where I dug my fingernails into her thigh. Q.It's quite apparent now that 1999 was about more than winning a World Cup. When you think of the things your team accomplished that summer, what are you proudest of? A.I think we broke a lot of barriers and changed a lot of perceptions. We'd get fan letters -- not just from girls, but from their parents, too: Thanks for everything you've done for our daughter. Because of you, she now dreams of becoming -- not a soccer player, necessarily, but maybe an astronaut. Or a CEO. Or an entrepreneur. I think -- I hope -- we showed young girls and young women that they can be whoever they want to be; that they can do whatever they want to do. Q.Did you meet President Clinton? A.I did. Twice, actually. After we beat China, we went back to the dressing room and there were some celebrities in there already. The Clintons were among them. We were going crazy. We were laughing and dancing and spraying champagne and [the president] was totally a part of it. When we visited the White House [for the traditional champion's reception], we got to hang out in the Oval Office for awhile. I actually sat at the president's desk. How many people can say they've done that? Q.Looking back, does it all seem a bit surreal? A.You have no idea. Sometimes I'll watch 'Dare to Dream' [the HBO documentary on the Women's National Team] and I'll get goosebumps and maybe shed a tear or two. It's like it's all happening for the first time. I almost have to hit myself on the side of my head and say, 'Hey -- you were there. You were a part of all that.'

Members of the United States' 1999 Women's World Cup team believe their most significant achievement may have been the extent to which they motivated girls and young women.

The Times-Dispatch tested this theory by asking eight current or former members of the women's soccer community in Central Virginia about the impact the 1999 team had on their careers. And ultimately, their lives: Bridget Kinealy, a rising sophomore midfielder at the University of Richmond, recalls driving from St. Louis to Chicago with her parents and older sister for the U.S. game against Nigeria on June 24, 1999. "My sister braided my whole head on the way, putting red, white and blue beads at the end of each braid." The accomplishments of the U.S. team, Kinealy said, "gave 10-year-old girls the desire and ambition to fight for their wildest dreams." Today, Kinealy and her sister, Colleen, both play Division I soccer. "The World Cup team made our dreams and ambitions seem possible." Katie Tracy performed with distinction at James River High School and the University of Virginia and later competed professionally in the WUSA (which has since morphed into Women's Professional Soccer). She said her professional experience "was a direct result of the'99 team's success and popularity. As a result of Bri's save, Lil's header and Brandi taking off her shirt, I played professional soccer in New York City. I couldn't have dreamed that up if you had asked me in the spring of'99." Mills Godwin coach Ali Toole, a former standout goalkeeper at Godwin and the University of Maryland, was preparing for her junior season at Maryland in the summer of'99. "It was a great feeling to be proud not only of our country but also of our sport and our gender." She said the event "made women's soccer what it is today" and had "a lasting effect on me as a player and later as a coach." Kristen Lescaleet, a rising sophomore midfielder at UR, said the ascension of the U.S. team didn't affect her desire "because the desire was already there. But it helped me work harder and gave me something to look forward to." Richmond Kickers Destiny player-coach Jen Woodie, a former all-CAA performer at VCU, said the message delivered by the U.S. World Cup team "helped mold me into the person I am today and I am still learning from it." She said she found it nothing short of inspiring "to see how passionate and driven that particular group of young women was. I was already soccer crazy, but after the World Cup, I set higher goals. I wanted to go places and I wanted to use soccer as my tool." Sarah Kate Noftsinger, a standout midfielder at Wake Forest who later played with and against many World Cup athletes in the WUSA, marveled at the repercussions created by the 1999 team. "Without them," she said, "women's sports in this country wouldn't be where they are today. Because of them, being an all-American girl suddenly became OK. Female role models became more abundant and accessible. The list just goes on and on." Said Noftsinger: Had it not been for the'99 team, "who knows when the next defining moment in women's sports might have happened?" Carter Blair, a rising senior defender at UR, called the'99 World Cup "a major turning point for the American public, which was finally made aware of the incredible women's program we have here; and for me, personally. It gave me role models I could relate to and try to emulate in my game." Collegiate goalkeeper Allie Albright said she "will never forget meeting the World Cup team, shaking their hands and asking for autographs. Brandi Chastain autographed a No.6 jersey for me." Albright, who will join the UR program in the fall, said the World Cup team taught her an important lesson: "Dreams do come true." -- Vic Dorr Jr.