Twenty-five years ago Wednesday, the 1999 US women’s national soccer team captured international attention and acclaim en route to its World Cup victory on home soil. In celebration of the team’s iconic championship moment, Nike is bringing back the beloved kit style with its U.S. Women’s National Team Reissue Collection.
Wearing their crisp white jerseys with the since-retired three-star shield emblem, the 1999 U.S. women steamrolled through their group stage with three victories and a plus-12 goal differential, then topped Germany in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, played in front of 73,123 fans at Stanford Stadium on the Fourth of July, Team USA cruised to a 2-0 win over Brazil.
Then came the final.
At its peak, the broadcast was seen by over 40 million viewers. Over 90,000 fans packed the Rose Bowl stands to watch the high-stakes U.S. and China rematch, three years after their clash in the 1996 Olympics gold medal match in which the U.S. defeated China 2-1 to win the first women’s soccer gold in Olympics history.
In the final, both regulation time and extra time came to a close with the game at a scoreless deadlock, sending the teams into a penalty shootout. Successful conversions from Carla Overbeck, Joy Fawcett, Kristine Lilly and Mia Hamm gave the Americans…
