Germany’s Bettina Wiegmann scored in the first minute of stoppage time to put Germany up 2-1 at the half and send the Americans into the locker room trailing for the first - and what would be the only – time in the tournament.
Germany’s Bettina Wiegmann scored in the first minute of stoppage time to put Germany up 2-1 at the half and send the Americans into the locker room trailing for the first - and what would be the only – time in the tournament.
After winning all three group stage games in convincing fashion, the U.S. Women’s National Team kicked off the knockout stages with a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Germany on July 1, 1999 in the quarterfinal in Landover, Maryland.
With President Clinton and his family watching in the stands at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, the U.S. fell behind in the fifth minute on an unfortunate own goal resulting from a Brandi Chastain back pass to goalkeeper Briana Scurry. The Americans responded quickly to the early deficit and forward Tiffeny Milbrett equalized in the 16th minute with a perfectly placed shot into the bottom left corner.
In the 49th minute, Chastain atoned for her earlier own goal as she pulled the U.S. level at 2-2 with a half-volley from the top of the six-yard box. The U.S. took the lead for good in the 66th minute when Shannon MacMillan, just seconds after coming into the match as a substitute, drove in a corner kick to the near post. Defender Joy Fawcett connected on the header to put the Americans in front and send the U.S. through to the semifinals.
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.