FIFA Women’s World Cup 1999 / Joy Fawcett

A retrospective on the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States, an international women’s sporting event on a scale never before attempted, from the opening 3-0 win over Denmark at Giants Stadium watched by 78,972 to the 90,185 at the Rose Bowl who saw Brandi Chastain’s winning penalty and iconic celebration as the USA beat China. It reproduces an archive interview with defender Joy Fawcett, conducted after the final by editor Jen O’Neill, in which Fawcett says she never doubted they would win, only her own play at times, and contrasts the World Cup final with the 1996 Olympic triumph because those screaming fans had come specifically for women’s soccer. She names her quarter-final goal against Germany and her penalty in the final as proudest memories.