Brandi Chastain: Raise Your Hand
The players who want the pressure are the ones you want on your team
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It’s July 10, 1999. The Women’s World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Ninety thousand fans in the stadium, 40 million watching on TV.
The United States and China have played 120 scoreless minutes. It comes down to a penalty shootout.
In the waning moments of extra time, U.S. coach Tony DiCicco asks assistant Lauren Gregg to write down the five shooters. Brandi Chastain is not on the list. She is sixth, a reserve, used only if the game goes past five rounds.
Four months earlier, Chastain had missed a penalty against this same Chinese goalkeeper. She hit the crossbar. She blamed herself for the loss.
DiCicco moved her up the list anyway.
All tournament, he had watched her stay after training to drill penalties with her left foot, a foot she had never used in a competitive match. He saw something in her that the situation couldn't change. As he would say afterward: “Brandi always wants to take penalty kicks. Not many players do.”
Assistant coach Gregg walked over. “Brandi, do you think you can make it?”
She nodded.
Ten minutes later, tied 4-4, Chastain stepped up fifth. She later said she didn’t ask her teammates what order they were kicking in, because she didn’t want to interrupt what they were doing to prepare. She just waited until someone handed her the ball.
One thought: don’t look at the goalkeeper.
She struck it left-footed, inside the right post. United States, World Cup champions.
Here’s the kick and the moment that followed (1:13):
https://tinyurl.com/3btxy7m5
Why It Matters
Penalty kicks in a World Cup final are one of the most pressure-filled moments in sports. Many players don’t love them. Chastain did, even after missing one against the same opponent four months before.
She didn’t earn the moment by being flawless. She earned it by preparing through failure, staying ready, and raising her hand when it counted.
Notice what she said about not interrupting her teammates: she managed her own nerves privately so no one else had to carry them. She didn’t make her moment their problem.
The Teammate Standard
She wasn’t supposed to take the kick. She had missed months earlier. She prepared anyway and, when called, she delivered.
The players who want the ball when it’s hard are the ones you trust most.
Do your teammates know you want the ball when the game is on the line?