Twenty-five years ago to the day, a sellout crowd of 78,972 fans packed the stands at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and watched as the U.S. Women’s National Team kicked off the what would become an historic 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Denmark.
Mia Hamm, who was already a household name, but whose fame would grow – along with many of her teammates -- in just a few short weeks, opened the scoring for the Americans with a goal in the 17th minute. She later set up Julie Foudy’s goal in the 73rd, doubling the USA’s advantage. Connecticut-native Kristine Lilly rounded out the scoring for the Americans in the 89th minute to open Group A play with a shutout victory.
The victory on the field and atmosphere in the stands set in motion an watershed summer for women’s sport, raising the profile of the players, the U.S. Women’s National Team and the soccer in the United States.
In celebration of the 25-year anniversary of the 1999 World Cup, the 1999 Women’s World Cup team will be honored on July 13 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. prior to kickoff of USWNT vs Mexico in the “Impact 99” legacy match, presented by New York Life.
The “Impact 99” match will feature a U.S. Soccer-organized reunion of all 20 players on the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team in celebration of the 25th anniversary summer of their historic run to the championship of a tournament that changed the course of women’s soccer history in the USA and globally. Tickets for the July 13 match are available for purchase at ussoccer.com/tickets.