Brandi Chastain

The World Cup victory propelled women's soccer into the national spotlight at a time when Chastain and her teammates were working hard to bring the sport greater recognition. "For those of us who were involved with it, it's a wonderful thing, considering how we've been clamoring for soccer to be in the public eye for so long," she told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2002. "And it's special to have individuals who normally are distinguished by men's sports events think of a women's soccer match that way." The win also helped convince investors that a pro women's soccer league would sell in the United States.