ESPN Films Nine for IX The 99ers: Complete Preview for Series' 8th Installment

ESPN Films' Nine for IX documentary series will shift its attention to the 1999 United States women's national soccer team on Tuesday night, Aug. 20, with "The 99ers," an hour-long documentary directed by Erin Leyden and produced by Julie Foudy.

The film will revisit the 1999 Women's World Cup, in which the U.S. women didn't drop a single match, ultimately defeating China in a penalty shootout in the tournament final on July 10 inside the sold-out Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. 

According to ESPN.com, there were more than 90,000 fans in attendance that day and "an estimated 40 million Americans watching on television." Therefore, you would be misguided to think that the 20 women on the U.S. squad that day weren't pioneers.

Their rousing result changed women's athletics for the better and cemented them in American culture.

Read on to find out what you can expect from the "The 99ers" on Tuesday night.

When: Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN

What to Expect

Produced by Foudy, who starred as a midfielder on the U.S. women's national team for nearly two decades, the documentary will provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the players who helped lift women's athletics to new heights just before the end of the millennium.

Foudy, a former team captain, tells the story of a U.S. squad that won't soon be forgotten. Had its run ended in the semifinals against Brazil or in a quarterfinal loss to Germany, it's unlikely that the 1999 World Cup final would have sold out and made a lasting impact.

A good portion of the footage comes from Foudy's personal home video collection, according to ESPN.com. The co-captain wasn't planning on making a documentary one day, but was sure to capture nearly every moment of her team's three-week World Cup journey off the field.

The film also features several interviews with players from the 1999 squad, as well as current U.S. women's national team stars who will discuss how that memorable win at the Rose Bowl 14 years ago impacted them.

Although 1999 marked the U.S. women's second World Cup title, it was the first on American soil and an epic victory that molded the 99ers into one of the most influential teams in sports.

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