Admit it—whenever you think of the best women’s national teams, the USA is always one of the first that comes to mind. For a unit that leads the World Cup champions list with a historic four trophies across decades, such recognition is not just obvious but well deserved. While the American ladies’ rise to dominance began as early as 1991, when they unlocked their potential in the beautiful game, USWNT icon Briana Scurry sees it a bit differently. She believes it was actually the 1999 World Cup-winning team—the legendary 99ers—that truly ignited the rise of women’s soccer in the States!

Hold your horses, it’s not like everything was a bed of roses for them. Many challenges came their way, one of them being bouncing back from their 1995 quarterfinal exit. Not to mention that, too, as inaugural champions. Though that proved successful, it required a lot of effort from every player, especially when it came to urging fans to showcase their support. Of course, at that time, it wasn’t indeed a task to be reckoned with!

“The whole leadup to 99, we were essentially educating about our game, selling our game to our country — ‘Please come and watch us’ — for several years, we did that,” Scurry began while speaking on the RE—INC podcast, co-hosted by USWNT veterans Christen Press and Tobin Heath, discussing how that tournament brought a personal change within her.

Having kicked off their first group stage match against Norway with a 3-0 win—the very opponents who had knocked them out from the previous edition—the iconic goalkeeper admitted that the whole team felt prepared. “We were ready. It was showtime, it was time to actually do the thing,” added the 53-year-old. Why? Well, thanks to the 76,000 fans who showed up at the Giant Stadium.

Personally for Briana, it was no less than a rollercoaster experience. She felt “incredibly excited, nervous, and emotional” at the same time. And why wouldn’t she, especially after seeing the team’s hard work, pay off by realizing the crowd they managed to entertain? “When we came out of the tunnel it was very emotional. We all started crying.”

Scurry was on the verge of an emotional meltdown but eventually managed to get a grip and refocus on the game. Then again, who could blame her? As the tournament unfolded, she found herself no longer building the stage—she was standing on it, fully living the dream she had worked so hard to create. And by hard, we mean literally, quite a lot!

Briana Scurry embraced the ‘high drama’ with USWNT in 1999 win

With three wins out of three in the group stage against Nigeria, North Korea, and Denmark, the American ladies managed to retain their composure on home soil. A subtle masterclass performance against Germany and Brazil in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively saw them secure a spot in the final. While it was a collective team effort, Briana Scurry takes much of the credit, admitting that the team wasn’t at their “normal selves.”

That only pushed the former Washington Freedom star to step up and happily shoulder more than her share of the responsibility for the game. A similar game face was put on in the final against China, but it wasn’t easy. What had begun as a tournament for the USWNT to ‘sell’ their game to their own fans turned into something much bigger, with over 90,000 people packed into Los Angeles’ Rose Bowl Stadium — a tough crowd to stay focused in front of.

“I had to make sure that I wasn’t awestruck by the number of people or the magnitude of the moment. For me, just continuing to stay focused and keep my intensity — that was the key,” emphasized Scurry, hoping her teammates would accomplish what they had been working toward throughout the tournament. And boy, did it work out in their favor!

After a mind-boggling stalemate, despite plenty of chances created by both sides, the prestigious trophy was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. Fortunately, Scurry’s crucial save helped the USA clinch a 5-4 win, securing their second World Cup trophy. No wonder the Minneapolis, Minnesota native takes major credit for the victory.

Sadly, at that time, an individual award like the Golden Glove hadn’t yet been introduced to specially recognize Briana’s achievement. Yet on the brighter side, not only did she make the tournament’s All-Star Team, but she also got to witness what the team had been aiming for all along: “High drama, obviously!”