On Saturday, U.S. Soccer ended an era as it officially closed the door on the legendary 99ers. In a small, humble ceremony before the United States women’s national team took on England, Christie Rampone said farewell to the team and fans.
Her retirement ceremony came almost 20 years to the day after her first cap. On February 28, 1997, Christie Rampone, then Pearce, took the field for the USWNT for the first time in a match against Australia. There was no way that the basketball player-turned-soccer player could have known on that day that she would embark on one of the most storied careers in USWNT history.