Brandi Chastain knows a thing or two about championships.
The San Jose native authored one of the greatest moments in United States women’s soccer history when her penalty kick won the 1999 World Cup in the championship game against China.
Twenty-six years later, she’s now a part-owner of Bay FC, part of the “Founding Four” that brought professional women’s soccer back to the Bay Area after a decade-plus hiatus.
This week, the women’s soccer world’s spotlight will be on Silicon Valley as PayPal Park hosts the National Women’s Soccer League championship, a first for the Bay Area and San Jose. It’s an opportunity for Bay FC to showcase the growth of its franchise over the past two years, and it’s one Chastain and her fellow owners don’t plan to miss out on.
“It shows that our community and our fan base and our love for women’s soccer is ever-present and means a lot to our league,” Chastain told this news organization. “We’ve made a statement, and I and all of our founders have a debt of gratitude to the fans for always showing up. It’s a wonderful environment every game we’ve had.
“Even when times are tough, it’s hard to get fans to come, but our fans showed up. So we’re really proud about that. That also tells us that we have an opportunity to build our business even bigger and show the world that women’s football belongs here, and it tells the players around the world that this is where you should be looking at and coming to ply your trade here.”
The NWSL has contested 12 championships in its history, the early editions of which were held at the higher-seeded team’s home stadium. Starting in 2016, the title matches moved to rotating neutral sites.
In the news release announcing PayPal Park as this year’s championship site, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman highlighted the Bay Area’s rich women’s soccer history. It’s a legacy Chastain helped fortify as a former Archbishop Mitty, Cal, Santa Clara, San Jose CyberRays and FC Gold Pride player.
“We understand our community,” Chastain said. “Our community is beautiful. Geographically, we’re surrounded by a beautiful area, and we will be in the middle of the Bay for our training facility (on Treasure Island, expected to open in 2027). I mean, I don’t know if there’s anybody who has a more gorgeous setting than that. What we have to offer in our communities that surround us in terms of culture, food, sports is second to none.”
Bay FC will be banking on a positive impression from out-of-town visitors to the Bay Area with the hope that better days are ahead for the local team on the field. After a strong debut season that resulted in a playoff appearance, Bay FC took a significant step back this year, finishing tied for last in the league with 20 points over the 26-game season.
“We want to show all the fans from all the different teams around our league that coming to one of our games in our stadium is exciting and relevant,” Chastain said. “We are thinking about championships, and the fact that we get to host one tells our fans that the league really values the people, and the people are the most important. And we’ve always said that from the beginning.”
Relevance in the NWSL championship race is a ways off at this point for Bay FC. But as the club heads into its third year seeking a new head coach after Albertin Montoya’s resignation, Chastain remains confident that the future is bright.
“We have more information,” she said. “And with more information, there’s more opportunity. We understand how the league functions, our players and our organization also understand how the league functions and what worked and what didn’t work.
“We will have some new players. Having new leadership, it doesn’t happen overnight. But the potential is here. We understand more than we did when we started out. So that’s where I feel like now, even though it will be new, we have a head start, which we didn’t have at the beginning two years ago.”
Chastain likened Bay FC’s maturation as an organization to the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
“That matters,” she said. “Learned lessons, living experiences. It’s like, what did you know as a teenager that now as an adult, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, why didn’t I see that?’ Well, because you just haven’t had enough experience. So there’s a lot to say about that, for what we have done and now what we will do going from this position.”
Before departing for the NWSL awards ceremony on Wednesday, Chastain reached out directly to soccer fans to encourage them to attend Saturday’s match. She spoke particularly to those with young children, who have been fixtures of Bay FC game days since the team’s inception.
“If you haven’t bought a ticket, please come and join us. You won’t be disappointed,” she said. “Seeing a championship team and game is always fascinating and exciting and fun. Our stadium is the best in the league for that. Every seat is a good seat.
“Bring a young girl if you have one in your family or in your life. Give her an opportunity to see herself. Maybe not as a player, but maybe as the coach or the team physician or the owner. Help her see that anything is possible.”