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I had just ended my sophomore year at the University of Nebraska and, like most people, I had no idea that the World Cup for women would create such an attraction. It was my first World Cup participation as a Canadian National Team member. Being a part of such an energized historical journey, I went from competing against the USA women, to admiring my opponents. I found myself becoming the fan watching each game with great anticipation. In the final when the USA won, it was the first time that I honestly experienced pride for “my competitors”.

It wouldn’t be a day in the wide world of women’s soccer without a reference to the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup – a historical event of sorts for reasons that span far beyond the words on this simple page. Looking back on myself as that young, impressionable 16-year-old ball girl, I often reminisce about how much that 90 minutes of soccer impacted, rocked and, thus, changed my entire life as I knew it. I stood on the sidelines and watched as my idols not simply passed the ball up and down the field, but also captured my heart and soul with their every step.

The 1999 Women’s World Cup practically transpired in my backyard. With the simple purchase of 6 tickets, my dad, Richard, inadvertently bought my best friend, Deb Benakis, her parents and myself not just access into a small athletic event, but rather an opportunity to bear witness to a sporting event that has since proven to be among the most pivotal in women’s soccer history.

How could I ever forget 1999? It was my first World Cup and also the first and only time I scored a goal at the premier event in women’s football. When you’re called up to represent your country at the World Cup you realize that all the sacrifices you’ve made are not in vain. On June 20, 1999, the day of our World Cup debut against Italy, I was amazed: The Rose Bowl was huge, with everything organized to perfection, and there was an enthusiastic crowd cheering both teams. Besides, I was playing for Germany in my father’s country.

During the 1999 World Cup, I was your typical soccer obsessed 13-year-old living in Clifton, New Jersey.  I was so thrilled that the 1999 Women’s World Cup was going to be hosted in the United States and top of that the opening game was going to be in my backyard.  The opening game was played in Giants Stadium, which was about ten minutes from my house, and if all that wasn’t enough to get a 13-year-old excited, the boy band *NSYNC was the opening act. 

The 1999 World Cup brought me closer to soccer. June 23rd, 1999 my sister and my club team went to Civic Stadium in Portland, Oregon to watch China take on Ghana in a group stage game. I had just turned 17 years old.