Presented by adidas

Produced by Storied Sports

Executive Producer: Michelle Akers

Episode 2 digs into the chaos & confusion that led to the formation of the first U.S. Women’s National Team - unbeknownst to the players themselves. The women recount finding out they’d made the national roster in ways that ranged from the bizarre to the anticlimactic — including learning the news from a reporter before U.S. Soccer even contacted them. Behind the scenes, a group of determined women were pushing the sport forward. This episode spotlights Marty Mankamayer, along with Mavis Derflinger and Betty D’Anjolell — the unstoppable “Charlie’s Angels” of youth soccer whose organization, business savvy, and political grit forced open doors the federation wasn’t ready to unlock. Their biggest breakthrough: getting women’s soccer into the 1985 Olympic Sports Festival, a move that created the pipeline needed to scout and select the first national team. It’s a story of visionary leadership, bureaucratic battles, and the moment the potential of players like Michelle Akers, Sharon McMurtry, and Stacey Enos became impossible to ignore.

00:00 — Pam learns she made the team (…from a reporter)

01:52 — “There’s a USWNT?!”

02:26 — Chapter two: A Golden Opportunity

03:20 — The barriers for the USSF

04:36 — The addition: women’s soccer now in the Olympic Sports Festival

06:54 — Meet the power trio: Marty, Mavis & Betty

08:10 — The explosion of girls & women’s soccer after Title IX

11:27 — Michelle Akers appears: “A once-in-a-generation talent”

18:18 — Players arrive in Baton Rouge: “It was like the Olympics”

27:55 — The plan unbeknownst to the players: the national team selection

34:02 — The announcement: the first USWNT is named on the field

40:00 — “So… do you have a passport?”

Featuring (in order of appearance):

• Pam Baughman Cornell: Forward | Member of the 1985 USWNT | Virginia / D.C. Soccer Hall Of Famer

• Erin Foley: Host Of Origin Story: The 85ers | Comedian & TV Writer

• Jane McManus: Host Of Origin Story: The 85ers | Sports Journalist & Academic

• Linda Gancitano: Defender | 1985 Olympic Sports Festival MVP | First Sub in USWNT History

• Lori Bylin Sweeney: Midfielder | Member of The 1985 USWNT

• Tara Buckley O’Sullivan: Midfielder | 4x All-American & 1982 Honda Award Winner

• Stacey Enos: Midfielder | Member of the 1985 USWNT | 3x NCAA Champion - University of North Carolina

• Michelle Akers: Midfielder/Forward | Fifa Co-Player of the Century | USWNT Olympic Gold Medalist & 2x World Cup Champion

• Anson Dorrance: USWNT Head Coach 1986-1994 | 65–22–5 Record with USWNT

• Kim Wyant: Goalkeeper | First GK Win in USWNT History | NYU Men's Soccer Head Coach 

• Marty Mankamyer: First Female Board Member of United States Soccer Federation | U.S. Olympic Committee President 2002 -2003

• Dana Giddens: Daughter Of Marty Mankamyer 

• Ruth Harker: Goalkeeper | Member Of The 1985 USWNT | St. Louis Soccer Hall of Famer

• Lori Henry: Defender | Former USWNT Captain & World Cup Champion

• Brandi Chastain: USWNT 2x Olympic Gold Medalist & 2x World Cup Champion

• Sharon McMurtry: Midfielder | 1985 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year | First-Ever U.S Soccer Female Athlete of the Year

• Emily Pickering Harner: Midfielder | First Assist In USWNT History

• Kathy Ridgewell-Williams: Forward | Member of the 1985 USWNT

Episode 3: 12.12.25

Episode 4: 12.16.25

Episode 5: 12.17.25

Episode 6: 12.18.25

Episode 7: 12.19.25