U.S. women’s soccer team making quite an impact, owes a lot to 1999 trailblazers

Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was at the Rose Bowl when Brandi Chastain and the 1999 U.S. women’s national team made history, beating China 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in the World Cup final.

Julie Ertz was 7, Morgan Brian was 6 and Tierna Davidson was not even a year old.

Twenty years later, the USWNT again cemented itself in sports history by winning back-to-back World Cup titles.

“Back at the inception of this team, the players that were first on that team set the bar really high for us as players,” Naeher said. “Going to the ’99 World Cup when I was 11 and watching that team, the legacy that they started and the bar that they set, I think we’ve all embraced that as a team.”

Chastain had no idea as she converted that momentous penalty kick, which shifted the culture of U.S. women’s soccer, that a youngster who would one day wear the same crest was watching from the stands.

Since that historic 1999 World Cup title, the United States has benefitted from an endless supply of talent that constantly replenishes the national squad. The standards set on and off the field carry from one team to the next, linking every player through the years.

“From the second I came in, there’s been a standard set in our team and the DNA of the team,” Ertz said. “When you come in, regardless of your age, there’s a standard that we expect.

‘‘On top of that, I think our veteran group really loved how much creativity the youth brought to the game and how they saw the game.”

Expectations are the same from Davidson, who was the youngest player to start for the United States in a World Cup game in 24 years, to Carli Lloyd, who was the oldest member of the team.

Ertz said they often repeated the phrase ‘‘iron sharpens iron’’ to each other, and it’s that mentality that has allowed them to etch their own legacy, which they believe will center mainly around the push for equal pay and respect for female athletes.

Megan Rapinoe has been the outspoken leader when it comes to equal pay and equality across the board. Her courage and conviction permeated the team.

“Even after they finish their soccer career, they will continue the conversation,” Davidson said. “I think we also now have the responsibility as the young ones. Though we haven’t had as much experience with the pay gap, we need to continue fighting, not only in female athletics but also beyond.”

From top to bottom, the members of the USWNT are using their platform to push for change.

Rapinoe used the stage at the World Cup championship parade and during countless late-night TV interviews. Ashlyn Harris uses her social-media platforms as a way to reach the masses.

And people are listening. The support they’ve received stretches from actress Sandra Bullock to Lakers superstar LeBron James to rap icon Snoop Dogg.

Most important, though, is the support the NWSL has received. The league scored a multiyear sponsorship deal with Budweiser and has a TV deal with ESPN to broadcast 14 games, including the semifinals and final of the 2019 season.

The discussion the 2019 USWNT ignited has picked up so much momentum that it’s hard not to look at these players as modern-day heroes. When asked if they felt like they were symbols of change for all women, Ertz responded with a resounding yes.

“It’s awesome to see the impact our team had not just on athletes but every realm,” Brian said. “You have someone like Snoop Dogg and people talking about not just us as soccer players, but the movement that’s going on. I think it’s so important to realize that this movement didn’t start with us. It began a long, long time ago.”

Red Stars owner Arnim Whisler announced Friday afternoon that Sunday’s “Welcome Back Game” is sold out, a first in the organization’s history.

The matchup could feature 14 World Cup players among the Red Stars and North -Carolina Courage.

As the USWNT players return to their NWSL teams, the focus has shifted from the World Cup title to winning a league championship. It won’t be long, though, before the national team reunites on the field.

Twenty years after the “99ers” made history at the Rose Bowl, the 2019 team will return for the first game of its Victory Tour on Aug. 3.

There’s no telling which potential young star will be watching from the stands.

“It’s kind of emotional in itself,” Ertz said. “For Alyssa saying she was actually there in the stands, and to think that there’s someone in those stands who could also have that same experience in 20 years is a cool thought.” V