Julie Foudy played on the U.S. womens national team for 17 years and won two Olympic gold medals during that time. Her first, in Atlanta in 1996, was especially meaningful, because it was also soccers debut as an Olympic sport.They said womens soccer would never get a World Cup -- or be in the Olympics. But in 1991, we got that World Cup. And in 1993, we found out wed get to be an Olympic sport. We were so pumped. My teammates and I had been fighting for it, so we were very excited get womens soccer in the Olympics -- and to have it in our home country.The crowd went absolutely berserk when the U.S. athletes walked in during the opening ceremony. We were the last country because we were the host nation. Youre waiting forever and waiting forever and then you finally get to go. We were rocking really cute red blazers and little white hats with red trim. (I still have the blazer.)I think Bruce Willis and Demi Moore were the first people we saw on the sideline and we high-fived. I was like, How cool is that? Theyre with their kids, high-fiving people. I dont think I realized how special it was to be in your own country at the time because it was our first Olympics.In the semifinal against Norway, we wanted to show the United States how cool our team was. The crowd was huge -- 64,000 fans -- and this was a period when we were still fighting to get recognition and support, so this was our chance to showcase this group.We had lost to Norway in the World Cup the year before and had to watch the Norwegians do this whole slow centipede victory march after they won, and that was still on our minds. How dare they do that? So we get a chance to get them again -- which we were ecstatic about -- and this time around we knew we werent going to fall to them.At halftime we were down a goal and I remember walking into the locker room and feeling like, Were fine. It was just a totally different atmosphere from the year before. This time, in the end, we got to finish them off.It can get super emotional when youre playing at home. The challenge was not being too pumped because you get so excited and so over-hyped. You dont want to be on this roller coaster of emotions, similar to a sugar high where you come crashing back down.The stadium was packed with more than 76,000 fans for the final against China and we had never really had that before, so you can imagine the excitement. It was always the challenge of appreciating the moment and soaking it in, which we were good at, but not letting that moment drain your energy. We actually talked about it a lot.We knew China was very good. The players were skillful, fit and well-trained, but we also knew this: We could be stronger than them mentally.I might have missed the dog pile. Shannon MacMillan scored the first goal -- and it was key to get in there and get a goal early to calm the nerves. After she scored, I just remember Mac sliding headfirst into the turf and all of us sliding in behind her. I think I ended up a little short of the celebration. Maybe I thought the grass was a little wetter than it was.When we won, we were up there on the podium, belting the national anthem at the top of our lungs. I remember thinking, does it get any better than this? Youre with your best buddies who youve worked so hard with, and to win the first-ever womens soccer gold in your home country, it was insane. It was surreal.We knew right away that people were mad. Only highlights of the final were aired on NBC -- not the whole game. Here you have a packed stadium with chanting Americans and I remember thinking, Wow, that tells you something. Theyre pretty set in how they cover sports and there will be a paradigm shift after this.At the 2000 Olympics, NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol pulled us all in and apologized for not covering us more in 96. He said, We missed out on that one and I take the blame.There was really a feeling that this could be a pivotal moment for women in sports in this country. All of these women in Atlanta -- some we knew, some we didnt -- we all had similar struggles in terms of acceptance and popularity and Title IX. Here we were collectively so successful, which isnt surprising given that many of us had been given the opportunity to play thanks to Title IX. After having to fight for so much, we thought maybe this was the breakthrough that was needed to get people watching and paying attention.On off days at the Olympics we had to be off our feet, so we would lie down and watch all the other sports on TV. We would watch and cheer the other women on all day. That was super fun. I was ecstatic for softball, for basketball, for the gymnasts, knowing that we all had worked so damn hard to get there.The 1996 Olympics also set the stage for the 99 World Cup to happen. At the time, FIFA did not want a big 99 World Cup. They wanted to keep it regional in smaller stadiums in the East. And U.S. Soccer said, No, we want to go big.That 1996 Olympic team somehow had the confidence to keep saying, We can do better. We can do more. We can do bigger. We should set the standard. Thats what I loved about that group.There was always a shared belief that this could be a tipping point for sport and women. And we helped tip it. Air Max Nz Sale .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Cheap Air Max Nz . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.airmaxnz.com/ . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at . Cheap Air Max Nz Free Shipping . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Air Max Nz Online . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break.Gael Monfils admitted he is not fully fit after losing 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Dominic Thiem at the ATP World Tour Finals. The Frenchman, who pulled out of the Paris Masters earlier this month with a rib injury, looked to be struggling physically at times as he was beaten by Thiem.Monfils did not chase a ball down the middle of the court at the end of the first set and stretched during changes of ends. He has now lost both of his matches in London and his chances of making the semi-finals are slim.Asked how he would prepare for his next match against Novak Djokovic, he said: Still the same thing. Try to recover because obviously Im not good enough to play back-to-back. So hopefully, Ill be much better. Monfils played a brilliant shot after being lobbed It was a tough one. Dominic was bettter than me.dddddddddddd I think I didnt play a great match, but I gave everything I had.Despite admitting he was not 100 per cent, Monfils fought back well after dropping the opening set.But Thiem, who lost his opening match to Djokovic after winning the first set, managed to hold out for victory this time. Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals November 16, 2016, 12:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass I tried to avoid the mistake I did in the first match: to drop a little bit, he said. Didnt really happen that well, but I was trying to stay tough in the third set.At the end, of course, he helped me a little bit with the three double faults. But Im very happy with the win.Watch every day of the ATP World Tour Finals, from November 13-20, live on Sky Sports. Full schedule here. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half Also See: Thiem battles past Monfils As it happened We will get the dream final Murray: No 1 hasnt changed me ' ' '