CHESTER, Pa. – Christie Rampone was presented with a diamond necklace before making her 300th cap with the US women’s national team Friday, but that wasn’t why it was a special night.
It was special – and always will be – because Rampone’s remarkable milestone came in the same game that she helped the United States qualify for another World Cup.
And now Rampone, who turns 40 next summer, will get one more chance to win a World Cup title before retiring as one of the country’s most accomplished soccer players.
“It’s an honor to be able to play in so many games, especially a game like today,” Rampone said following the United States’ 3-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship semifinals at PPL Park. “It’s not about the 300th but it’s always going to be a memory because we advanced to the World Cup.”
If you watched Friday’s World Cup-clinching victory over Mexico, you might not have noticed Rampone much – a testament to how much the game was played on the other side of the field from the defender.
But similar to the 299 other games she’s played in for her country, the 39-year-old captain provided a steadying influence, quietly guiding the US to Sunday’s CONCACAF title game vs. Costa Rica.
“It’s exciting – although we’re not completely done yet,” she said. “We’re in the World Cup, but we want to make sure we finish this tournament off right and focus on the next game. But it’s exciting that we’re in. And we can start the process now of getting better and getting ready for the World Cup.”
The fact that Rampone will be part of that process is fairly remarkable, considering she earned her first USWNT cap in 1997 and made the first of her four World Cup appearances in 1999 – the last time the US won.
Since then, she’s represented the United States at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cups and the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, playing for six different coaches and becoming the second US player – man or woman – to reach 300 international caps (with Kristine Lilly being the other).
“It’s definitely been a journey,” Rampone said. “I went from a shy and quiet girl, a forward converted to a defender, coming into a leadership role, to having that confidence in excelling at outside back and center back. The game has evolved so much from the fitness level to the speed to the vision to the skill to the technical ability on the ball. I’m just really excited to be a part of the growth of soccer and hopefully I can continue on.”
And how much longer can she continue?
“I’m just focusing on the World Cup,” she said with a smile.
