Even before the United States had finished their 5-2 rout of Japan in the 2015 World Cup, the comparisons between this team and the group who beat China in 1999 began. That team featured Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers and a collection of talent greater than any other on earth at the time. Sixteen years later, this newest World Cup champion is different, but no less significant.
The team in 1999 set off a revolution in women’s soccer around the globe. At the turn of the century, the U.S. women were dominant. Tony DiCicco had assembled a dedicated core of players who had been developing for the better part of a decade to overpower the rest of the world.