Ep.22 | 99' World Cup Winner, Saskia Webber | Player Series

Our guest for today, 99 World Cup winning goalkeeper, Saskia Webber
And my name is Omar Zeenni, welcome to the life through sport podcast.
Before the NWSL, and before the likes of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carly Lloyd, you had the 99’ers.
Saskia and the 99’ers captured the imagination of the American public, and what soccer could be in the United States, after they famously defeated China in the World Cup final in front of 90,000 fans.
Winning the World Cup would become the cultural moment and narrative shift that many on the team had fought for their entire careers. And as we dive into Saskia’s story throughout the episode, you will realize that the 99 team was not only composed of some of the greatest players in the history of the game, but they also included courageous women who were powerful advocates for women's rights and equality in sports.
That being said, let’s get to know one of the teams’ core pieces and a great friend of mine, Saskia Webber.
Timestamp
0:00 intro
2:34 Commentating games: some of the early challenges
3:34 The current chapter in your book: “Act II”
6:30 How are you REALLY doing?
7:30 “I’d rather the chaos and the fires than nothing”
10:30 “You have to know where everything came from”
12:35 “They didn’t think we could sell out stadiums” soundbite
14:30 “We needed to keep winning to have the platform”
16:10 What was your childhood like?
17:15 Getting to the National Team camps
18:30 How did Saskia deal with the pressures of fame
21:30 What made Jersey a hotbed for goalkeepers?
22:20 What were you like as a young goalkeeper? (How can we rephrase this?) - soundbite
24:20 How have you translated how you were coached to your coaching? Soundbite
25:35 Keeping that “voice” in your back pocket
26:35 How did a young Saskia respond to mistakes?
29:30 Your time at Rutgers University
32:00 How did you handle knowing you were going to get “peppered” every game?
32:30 Showcase your ability at a lower level college or a powerhouse?
34:45 95’ World Cup
36:00 Were you the greatest #2 ever?
37:20 Being the #1 in 1992 for the USWNT - what was that time like?
38:10 Why was there never a sense of arrogance with the 99’ers - Intro Soundbite
39:30 Having been around so many top players, what would you say were the keys to greatness?
42:30 Memories of Tony Dicicco
44:10 Getting called in by Tony to say I made the roster for 99 soundbite
45:40 How Mia Hamm dealt with fame
46:50 Did you guys help her carry that weight?
48:45 What were your immediate reactions after the final whistle in 99?
49:30 there was a sense of relief
51:10 Building off the momentum of the World Cup
51:30 WUSA: What was your involvement in its inception?
54:00 Did the league folding move you towards retirement? “My NT career was over . . . I can’t be younger”
55:15 Retiring too early
56:10 How did you deal with things that were out of your control?
57:00 Maintaining our fitness without a league - “you had to structure it yourself” soundbite
58:40 The stress of ALWAYS being fit for the USWNT
59:40 Next steps after retirement
1:00:50 Was coaching ever on your radar?
1:02:00 What’d you miss most about the game when you retired?
1:03:00 Did you feel forgotten after retiring?
1:03:40 How was the Angel City project presented to you?