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Twenty women were on that roster and every one of them earned it. I'm
not going to try to write about all twenty, because I'd get something
wrong and some twelve-year-old would e-mail me about it, and she'd be
right. These are the ones I know the most about, and the ones I talk
about most at practice. Each one comes with what I tell my girls.
| MIA HAMM forward |
She was fifteen when she first played for the national team, won four
national championships at North Carolina, and on May 22 of this year
she scored her 108th goal for her country. That's more international
goals than anybody has ever scored. Not any woman. Anybody. And every
time somebody puts a microphone in front of her she talks about the
team.
What I tell my girls: The best player
in the world is the one who talks about her teammates. Now go work on
your weak foot.
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| MICHELLE AKERS midfield |
At the very first Women's World Cup, in China in 1991, she scored ten
goals, including both of ours in the final against Norway, and we won.
Nobody here noticed. Since then she's been playing with chronic fatigue
syndrome, which would have finished most people's careers. This year she
played in the middle of the field and threw herself in front of every
ball, scored the penalty that put away Brazil, and in the final played
until her body gave out.
What I tell my girls: Some days you
won't feel good. Play anyway, as hard as you can for as long as you can,
and then let somebody else take over. That's what a team is for.
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| CARLA OVERBECK defense, captain |
The captain, in the middle of the defense, and the one you notice least
if you only watch the ball. Watch her instead sometime. She's always
talking, always pointing, always moving somebody two steps over. She took
our first kick in the shootout, and when your captain goes first and
scores, everybody behind her breathes easier.
What I tell my girls: Talk on the
field. Tell your teammate where to go. Being loud is a skill.
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| JOY FAWCETT defense |
A defender who headed in the winning goal against Germany, then took our
second kick in the final and made it. And she's the mother of two little
girls. When I was playing, people told women they had to pick one or the
other. She didn't.
What I tell my girls: Defenders score
too. Go up for the corner kicks. (And to the moms on our sideline: see?)
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| JULIE FOUDY midfield |
One of the team's leaders, a Stanford graduate, and from everything I've
read the one who keeps everybody loose in the locker room. She runs all
day in the middle of the field and makes the passes that don't show up
on the highlights. Every team needs one of her.
What I tell my girls: The pass before
the goal matters as much as the goal. Also, smile once in a while. You're
allowed to have fun out there.
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| TIFFENY MILBRETT forward |
From Portland, Oregon, and one of the smallest players on the field, and
one of the fastest. When we were down 1-0 to Germany in the quarterfinal
and everybody was panicking, she's the one who tied it up.
What I tell my girls: Size doesn't
matter. Speed matters, and wanting it matters more. (This one is mostly
for Kira, who is our smallest and our fastest.)
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| TONY DiCICCO head coach |
He's been the head coach since 1994. He was a goalkeeper himself, and he
coached this team to the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Athens,
Georgia, and now the World Cup. From what I can tell from the sideline
shots, he lets his players be who they are and doesn't scream. I have
studied that very closely.
What I tell myself: Don't scream.
Breathe. They're eleven.
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And the final, again: Briana Scurry in goal, who made the save.
Kristine Lilly, who headed the ball off the line in overtime and made
her kick. Brandi Chastain, who put one in her own net against Germany,
scored for us in the same game, and took the winning kick against
China. Cindy Parlow, who scored against
Brazil. Twenty women. I could go on, and I will, at practice, for
years.
<< The Final | My Girls, and Title IX >>
[email protected] • Last updated September 12, 1999
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