![]() But it's honestly really nice because I get to use my platform to have younger girls that look like me - and are like me - to be able to see that there's someone like them that can make it."Īfter all, she was in their shoes at a 10-year-old back in 2015. "I still look up to so many people on this team, so it's really crazy that I'm a role model. ![]() "I feel like it's crazy that people look up to me right now," Thompson said. Now, Thompson and the other newcomers have the chance to both cement their individual legacies and to inspire the next generation of national teamers, the same way the triumphant 1999, 20 teams did. "I'm like, ‘What is going on right now, what are you guys saying?'" "They'll bring up TikTok or Instagram jokes, just stuff that their generation is so into," said 30-year-old Kristie Mewis, who is participating in her first World Cup. In the locker room, that's not always the case. From a purely soccer perspective, they're all speaking the same language. The age difference between the team's older and younger members has manifested off the field more than on. "But it's more exciting than nerve-wracking." "I've looked up to these players for such a long time, so in this environment, I'm a little bit nervous," said Alyssa Thompson, the youngest player on the 2023 World Cup roster who, at 18, is almost 20 years junior to the 38-year-old Rapinoe. Now they're the OGs on a roster filled with women who grew up idolizing them. Rapinoe and Alex Morgan were both on the 2011 World Cup team that was captained by '99er Christie Pearce (née Rampone). When Megan Rapinoe made her international debut in 2006, several members of the 1999 squad were still key players for the USWNT. Their legacy is huge, and we do feel really connected to them still, even if we weren't alive or aware of what was happening back then." Part of the reason we need to be successful is because of them. ![]() That team is so essential to our success. "It's almost like the stories become my own memories. "Legacy is a very important thing on this team, and it's constantly passed down," Sullivan said. Williams idolized ’99ers Mia Hamm and Brianna Scurry, while Sullivan, a Washington D.C.-area product, attended matches at RFK Stadium during the 2003 World Cup. World Cup newbies Lynn Williams and Andi Sullivan both cite going to watch the USWNT play in person as little kids as formative experiences. There is an obvious through line from the ‘99ers to all the teams that have come after it. ![]()
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