Emma Carlson-Berne - What a Kick: How a Clutch World Cup Win Propelled Womens Soccer

The field was blistering hot that day at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. Some members of the U.S. Womens National Soccer Team lay on the turf, towels draped over their necks, as trainers massaged their aching legs. Others stood in huddles, pouring water over their heads and bouncing back and forth to keep their legs loose. They were all exhausted.

It was July 10, 1999, and the thermometer measured 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius). It was the final game of the 1999 Womens World Cup, the ultimate in womens soccer. Sixteen teams had participated in the final tournament over the last 21 days. Now, in the scorching summer heat of the final match, the last two teams had run the field for 90 minutes and two 15-minute overtimes. The score was 0-0. And the U.S. athletes on the field were like hounds at a hunt. They were going to capture the World Cup, no matter what.

They were facing China, a powerful opponent, which had beaten them three months earlier in an exhibition game. But the Chinese players were tired too. Tiffeny Milbrett later recalled. I dont think as much physically as mentally. I was surprised by how tired I thought China was too. Technique was breaking down. You just have to fight through it. You just have to battle.

U.S. forward Tiffeny Milbrett (16) was chased down the field during the second half of the Womens World Cup final game.

Two overtimes, and no one had scored. The game was going into a dreaded phase: . The players hated them. Five kicks for each team. One shooter versus the opponents goalkeeper. The team that puts more kicks past the goalkeeper wins. Its as simple as that. But penalty kicks say almost nothing about the physical skills of a player. A decent amateur can kick the ball past even a good goalkeeper. Penalty kicks are all about mind games. All about concentration, outwitting the goalkeeper, and keeping your mind tightly focused.

Kristine Lilly battled for the ball. She would be one of the five shootout kickers for the Americans.

Who would kick for the American team? Lauren Gregg, the U.S. assistant coach, wrote down four names: team captain Carla Overbeck, defender Joy Fawcett, midfielder Kristine Lilly, and superstar forward Mia Hamm. There were two possibilities for the fifth spot, co-captain Julie Foudy and midfielder and defender Brandi Chastain. If the score was still tied after four kicks per team, the fifth could win the World Cup. They would need a clutch performer. Someone who could handle the pressure of being the possible decider. Someone who could surprise Chinas goalkeeper.

Co-captain Julie Foudy, who played on four World Cup teams, was the possible fifth kicker.

Gregg walked over to Chastain. She wasnt the obvious pick. She had become predictable kicking with her right leg, with the ball going to the goalkeepers right. Chastain had missed more than half of her penalty kicks that year. But she had a special skill: she could shoot with either foot. She could kick left-footed if she had to. Maybe most important, she had the guts to try it in a World Cup final.

Chastain was lying facedown on the turf with her eyes closed, fighting a leg cramp. Gregg asked. Chastain said she did. Then Gregg suggested a new tactic: Kick it with your left foot. Chastain agreed. And just like that, the decision had been made. The list was complete.

The United States was watching. The world was watching. Little girls, teenage boys, fans in face paint, body paint, USA shirts and hatssoccer fans of every type packed the Rose Bowl. Four years before, in 1995, the Americans had played in the World Cup semifinals in Sweden in front of 3,000 people. Before the 1999 World Cup finals, that many fans showed up just to watch practice. The players were so mobbed, they needed police escorts just to get off the field. Just 21 days before, the United States had hammered Denmark 3-0 in front of nearly 79,000 screaming fans. Now 90,185 people filled the stadium. Another 40 million watched on TV in the United States. One billion people watched worldwide. It was the biggest event in the history of womens sports. And it had come down to five kicks.

The ball was placed on a dot 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal. The teams would alternate kicks. Chinese player Xie Huilin was up first. Briana Scurry, the American goalkeeper, danced nervously in the box, but Xie shot easily past her into the upper left corner of the net. Goal for the Chinese.

Carla Overbeck, the team captain, was the first American kicker. She jogged up to the ball, the picture of casual confidence. She was even chewing gum. The entire stadium held its breath. Overbeck kicked. Chinese goalkeeper Gao Hong lunged for the ballthe wrong way. The ball sailed into the net, and the stadium exploded in cheers.

Defender Carla Overbeck leaped high in the air after her successful penalty kick.

Chinese player Qiu Haiyan shot nextscored. Joy Fawcett, American defenderscored. The tension in the stadium was rising. The score was tied 2-2. On the next penalty kick, Scurry blocked Chinese player Liu Yings shot. The dive to block the shot was so explosive that for three months, Scurry thought shed torn an abdominal muscle.

Two more Americans shot and scored: Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm. Zhang Ouying and Sun Wen had also scored for the Chinese. The score was tied, 4-4. Chastain was up. If she scored a goal, the Americans would win the World Cup 5-4. If she missed, a new round of kicks would begin.

Superstar Mia Hamm scored a penalty kick beyond the reach of goalkeeper Gao Hong.

Chastain later said all the sounds became muffled when she set the ball on the mark. Still, Chastain recalled, I felt very confident. My team trusted me.

[Gao], she recalled later. As soon as the whistle blew, I just stepped up and hit it. I just kind of lost my mind.

The goalkeeper Gao read where the shot was going and dived the right way. But Chastain had struck the ball so precisely and with such force, Gao couldnt react in time. The ball flew into the upper right corner of the net, out of Gaos range. The United States had won!

Brandi Chastain screamed with joy after her successful penalty kick clinched the World Cup win for the U.S. Womens National Team.

Thunderous applause filled the stadium. Confetti cannons fired, the American team screamed, and Chastain whipped her shirt off. Wearing her black sports bra, she dropped to her knees on the turf, muscles and tendons standing out in clear relief, her white jersey clutched in her upraised fist. She screamed with the sheer joy and triumph of the moment. World Cup on our shoulders, and this was a release of that weight.