Episode Two: Soccer
Kicking it old school style….
In 1982, the NCAA sponsored the first ever women’s soccer tournament.
1985 saw the birth of the US Women’s National Soccer Team.
The Winning Starts
The first Women’s World Cup was held in China in 1991 and won by… guess who? The USWNT.
Women’s soccer made its Olympic debut in the 1996 Olympics hosted in Atlanta. The USWNT took home the gold.
The Giants of ‘99
The 1999 World Cup hosted by the United States, changed women’s soccer in the United States forever. Our team of superstars made sure no one would forget their names or their accomplishments with a stunning win.
Brandi Chastain’s celebration of ripping off her shirt after kicking the game winning penalty became memorialized as a symbol of female athletic triumph.
The game deciding penalty kicks.
2011 World Cup
While the US fell to Japan in the finals of the World Cup, the semi final match against Brazil went down in history as one of the most dramatic soccer games ever. Watch the full match in all its glory here.
2012 Olympics
Winning is a habit for the USWNT. The 2012 Olympics was no different. We brought home the gold.
Back to Back World Champs
The 2015 World Cup saw the first of two back to back World Cup wins for the USWNT.
Then…. we had 2019. The World Cup victory for the USWNT marked the fourth World Cup title for the US.
The US Professional Women’s Soccer Leagues
The Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world’s first professional soccer league where the players were paid and was founded in 2000. The league folded in 2003.
Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) was the second professional women’s soccer league in the United States. It started in 2009 and met the same fate as WUSA, folding in 2012.
The National Women’s Soccer League picked up the mantle of professional women’s soccer in the united states. It was founded in 2013 and today has nine teams with plans for a tenth team.