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ESPN
Films To Premier 'The 99ers' on Aug. 20
Julie Foudy narrates film,
which features PHOTOSPORT game images
From
Press Services
CHICAGO (Aug. 15, 2013)
- As part of a series titled Nine for IX, ESPN Films will premier "The
99ers" at 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 20, taking fans back to the summer of 1999
when the U.S. Women's National Team captured the hearts and minds of a
nation on the way to a dramatic Women's World Cup championship. The
movie incorporates PHOTOSPORT still imagery from the game, which was
played July 10, 1999.
The U.S. WNT changed the landscape of women's
sports on a global level on July 10, 1999. In front of a sold-out crowd
of 90,185 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., still the largest crowd
to watch a women's sporting event, the U.S. Women's National Team
reached a cultural and athletic pinnacle with its penalty-kick shootout
victory against China to win the Women's World Cup.
Even more amazing, an estimated 40 million
Americans watched on television with millions more tuning in from
around the world.
As told through the voice of a longtime team leader, Julie Foudy, fans
will get an inside look at the strong team ethic and "do for each
other" mentality that propelled the squad to victory.
With unprecedented access, "The 99ers" uses candid, behind-the-scenes
footage shot by the players themselves during the three-week tournament
to present a unique portrait of the women who irrevocably changed the
face of women's athletics.
The film reunites key players from the 1999 squad
and also talks with current U.S. players to examine how women's soccer,
and women's sports as a whole, has evolved since that epic day at the
Rose Bowl.
Foudy, who spent 17 years on the National Team while earning 272 caps
and scoring 45 goals, is the producer for the film. The mother of a
young daughter and son is a two-time World Cup champion and three-time
Olympic medalist, which includes gold medals in 1996 and 2004. In 2007,
she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, alongside Mia Hamm.
"A friend recently asked me how I would describe
the experience of the 1999 World Cup to my young kids and, without
hesitation, the first thing that came to mind was: Best. Job. Ever,"
said Foudy. "Yes, almost two decades of playing for my country
alongside an amazing group of women who taught me the value of
competing, growing and digging deeper than I thought possible counts me
among the lucky. But, more important, this group of women showed me
that challenges, obstacles and adversity are really just thrilling,
laughter-infused adventures that are part of the wonderful journey."
The film is directed by Erin Leyden, a
producer with ESPN Films since 2008. She has produced more than a dozen
documentaries for the award-winning "30 for 30" series, working with
filmmakers, including Barry
Levinson ("The Band That Wouldn't Die"), Steve Nash ("Into
the Wind") and Jalen Rose
("The Fab Five").
Before joining the Films group, she worked at ESPN producing features,
specials and documentaries, including "Ali's Dozen," "The Greatest Game
Ever Played," "ESPN The Magazine at 10," and "Her Story."
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