

This attitude and feeling can be credited to many people, including my dad and my sisters. I felt like I belonged in sports and in sports only. As I was growing up, it was the opposite for me. Many things impact why girls often quit sports, the biggest reason is that they feel they don't belong in sports (Women's Sports Foundation). Did you know that forty percent of teen girls do not participate in any sport, whereas only twenty-five percent of teen boys don't participate? Also, by the onset of puberty more than half of girls will have quit playing sports for good. Read Frye's Forbes interview piece with Hamm's World Cup '99 teammate Brandi Chastain here. Women's ability should see them through (a match with) Spain.īut, if they both get to the quarterfinals, I think whoever wins the possible matchup between the U.S. I think Spain looks good, as they've improved and look versatile, and have a lot of personality. But this will be the first match in which they'll be truly tested. The best way to secure a world championship is by wining every game. They want to win every game, and they'll tow the line against anyone. might want to finish second to avoid France" in the quarterfinals. I heard some talk early on about "maybe the U.S.
Hamm: Sweden today is an important match, in terms of where you finish. (Photo by Dave Bjerke/NBC via Getty Images) Getty ImagesĪF: Going forward, who will be the USWNT's biggest threat? with Jay Leno at NBC Studios, Jin Burbank, California. Hamm, with '99 World Cup teammates Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy, backstage at The Tonight Show. And you have to, during tense moments at the top level of competition. Julie also talks about that a we laughed a lot. So, celebrating our different personalities was a large part of our success. The last thing you want is 20 of the same type of player. What was really important from the leadership was to allow us to be ourselves, and not temper that. We were all different personalities pushing for the same thing-you talk about players like Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy, one of the team captains.īrandi and I are two totally different personalities but we wanted the same thing, to win. Plus, our leadership did such a great job of expressing the value of every player.

At such a high level, each player has to buy in, and for us that chemistry was real and true. Our mental skills coach Colleen Hacker use to always talk about chemistry as a verb, and that chemistry is something you train like any skill. How did that come about, and how important is chemistry in today's soccer?
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Similarly to how Alex and Megan have kept up the conversation, Johnnie Walker has done the same by partnering with great organizations like Ladies Get Paid.Īlex-with her exposure as a top player-and her commitment to this issue, has created opportunity in such a thoughtful way to try to make a difference.īut it's also about feeling empowered, and I'm excited to listen to other women and really discuss how to close the gender pay gap.ĪF: The 1999 team had an exceptional team hive mind. That's why I'm in New York today for the Equalizer Watch Party, to watch and cheer the U.S. Alex and Megan (Rapinoe) have kept up the conversation, not only education and women coming together to close the gender pay gap, but how to do it. Hamm: This team and its players have done a tremendous job addressing the pay gap as an issue. Talk for a moment about that and the pay gap in soccer. Men's player, rivaling names like David Beckham, Messi and Neymar. Messerschmidt/Getty Images) WireImageĪF: Alex Morgan, for example, has become a bigger name than any U.S. defeated Sweden 3 - 1 in the opening round of the FIFA Women's 2003 World Cup. United States forward Mia Hamm screams in delight as the U. I think the challenge playing against the U.S. You have to figure out how to limit the damage everywhere. As an opponent you are having to plan for so many possibilities, you can't just shut down one player. Then you bring in their abilities on set pieces. has (attacking midfielder Lindsey) Horan or (midfielder Sam) Mewis streaking through, or Rose Lavelle, who is very crafty on the ball-you have both height and speed to deal with. As (opposing team) defensive backs, how do you cover for that?Īnd then if the U.S. With Rapinoe it's not just one skill or ability to score, but her ability to create space and open things up and deliver service for teammates. Hamm: I think they're throwing so many different looks at other teams. What else do you see happening for USWNT on offense? The versatility is probably the best I've seen.ĪF: Players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have stood out up to now. But what's really wonderful about this team is that they are the deepest team the U.S.
