Name: Brandi Denise Chastain
Club: San Jose CyberRays (WUSA)
College: University of California-Berkely (1986-88), Santa Clara University (1988-90)
Brandi Chastain has 143 caps with the US Womens National Team since her first match versus Japan on June 1, 1988. On April 18, 1991, vs. Mexico is when Brandi broke open her international scoring career. She came on as a substitute in this CONCACAF qualifier for the 1991 Womens World Cup and scored 5 consecutive goals, leading the USA to a 12-0 victory. She went on to score twice more, finishing with seven goals in the tournament. She then traveled to China to help the USA win the first ever Womens World Cup. She earned two caps, starting one of the matches. Chastain was not called for national team duty again until January 14, 1996. Upon her return, she was converted from a forward into a defender. In the 1996 Olympics (held in Atlanta, Georgia) Brandi started every match and played every minute, helping the Americans to the first ever Olympic Womens Soccer Gold medal. In 1998, Chastain started 24 matches for the United States, and was third on the team in minutes played. From her left back position, she scored five goals, four of which were on penalty kicks. She also had five assists, totaling up to 15 points on the season. The summer of 1999 proved to be a bright spot in the careers of the US National Team members, especially Chastain. She earned her 100th national team cap on July 4, 1999, vs. Brazil; scored an own goal and the equalizing goal in the quarterfinal match vs. Germany; and was named to the 1999 Women's World Cup All-Star team. But that's all. In the World Cup final on July 10, 1999, she made history. The match was scoreless after 90 minutes of regulation, and two 15 minute sudden-death overtime periods. Thanks to Kristine Lilly's goal-line header save in the first 15 minute overtime period, the Americans stayed alive to go into penalty kicks with the Chinese. Four of the Chinese players made their penalty kicks, and Briana Scurry came up big, saving one of them. Four Americans (Carla Overbeck, Kristine Lilly, Mia Hamm and Joy Fawcett) successfully found the back of the net on their kicks when Chastain stepped up to the penalty spot. She calmly struck the ball with her left foot and hit the net, just inside the right post of the goal, a shot commentators exclaimed "no keeper could have saved". In a state of "momentary insanity" as Chastain said, she pulled off her jersey, sliding on her knees across the grass, then waving the jersey all around, before she was hit by on-coming team celebration. Many of the team members have been quoted saying they felt joy, elation and relief. All of this was done in front of a record crowd of over 90,000 at Spartan Stadium (a record for a women's sporting event), and millions of tv viewers. Chastain was on the cover of Time, Newsweek, People, and Sports Illustrated peeling off her jersey in jubilation. She made many tv appearances, and instantly she, and womens soccer, were famous. Chastain scored five goals and five assists on the year (for 15 points) and proved to be the catalyst of the dream of the US Womens National Team members, a league of their own. While arrangements were being made for the league in 2000, Chastain played in 34 national team matches, starting 32 of them. She scored four goals and three assists on the year (11 points) and helped the USA to its first Algarve Cup title, with yet another tournament deciding penalty kick, beating Norway 1-0 in the final. The 2001 national team schedule was limited, due to the new league, and Chastain played in three matches. Chastain took part in the inaugural game of the Womens United Soccer Association (WUSA) on April 14, 200l. Her club, the Bay Area CyberRays (which she captains along with Tisha Venturini-Hoch), lost 1-0 to the Washignton Freedom on a penalty kick conversion by Pretinha, after Mia Hamm was fouled in the box by Chastain. And although they lost, the day was still a victory for all of womens soccer. The CyberRays went on to finish second place on the season and win the first WUSA title, beating the New York Power in their first playoff match, and the Atlanta Beat in the league final. Chastain finished with two goals and five assists for nine points in the regular season, where she saw 1621 minutes of playing time in 19 matches, starting each of them. Chastain missed only one match, due to a yellow card suspension (she acquired four yellow cards in seven matches). In the playoffs, she started and played every minute of both matches and scored two goals for four points in the tournament.
