Growing up in Portland, Oregon, an eight-year-old Tiffeny Milbrett sat in front of the family TV and marveled at the amazing athletes – track and field stars and volleyball greats – who competed in the Summer Olympic Games.

In fact, she was so mesmerized by those Olympian feats that Milbrett not only fantasized about performing at the highest level possible, she made it a goal to compete at what she called “the pinnacle" of sports. "Oh gosh, that's where I wanted to be, in that competition," she told ussoccer.com on the verge of being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018. "I wanted to be an Olympian."

And it was after watching the local Portland Timbers of the old North American Soccer League (NASL) that Milbrett fell in love with the game of soccer. “I just feel fortunate I was able to play soccer at the upper echelon for so many years,” she added, looking back on a legendary career with the U.S. Women’s National Team. “It was really, really my goal, in my heart and in my blood.”

Among the Greats
She accomplished that and then some, becoming one of the greatest international soccer players of her own, or any other, generation. Milbrett became the first woman to score a goal in two Olympic gold medal matches and was a member of the legendary U.S. team that hoisted the 1999 Women's World Cup, among myriad other honors. 

Tiffeny Milbrett celebrates scoring in a 7-1 win vs. Nigeria at the 1999 Women's World Cup with Julie Foudy.

For her outstanding accomplishments, Milbrett was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. She will be enshrined in the new Hall, joining other U.S. soccer greats on Saturday Oct. 20 at the grand opening at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

"I just feel most humbled to be considered alongside all that talent," Milbrett said. "I think it’s just the influence of the powerful people that helped shape the sport to where it is today. Just being able to live out my dream and being a part of being excited about the sport of soccer. We're still doing that to this day. And also, just being alongside all those influential people, whether it’s the ones being inducted for what they did on the playing field or off. I'm proud to be a part of these people that helped shape and mold the direction and advancement of soccer in this country. I take that very seriously. It's pretty cool to be a part of the group of people that have helped [grow the game]. It’s a reminder of the influence that you had with the sport and to continue to help it grow."

Milbrett was destined for greatness early on. She was a three-time Oregonian 3A player of the year, graduating Hillsboro High School holding Oregon state records for goals (54) in a season and career (131). During a sterling four-year career at the University of Portland, Milbrett struck 103 goals and collected 246 points while earning All-America honors an astonishing three times.

She began to make her impact on the National Team by connecting for a team-high three goals at the 1995 Women's World Cup, in which the Americans finished third.

Milbrett celebrates scoring her 100th career WNT goal on July 11, 2005 at Merlo Field on the campus of University of Portland where she played collegiate soccer.  

Milbrett the Match-Winner
In the very first Olympic women's soccer final a year later in Athens, Ga., she brought her game to yet another level by connecting with Mia Hamm for the game-winner to lift the U.S. to a 2-1 triumph over China in the Final. "Scoring goals is fickle," she said. "It's really interesting. There's something about performing in a pinnacle competition that speaks to what I always dreamed about in these pinnacle moments. It was extremely special to be able to have that reward after all the work you've done through the years and be rewarded with that kind of joy. Quite frankly, very few things you feel in your life are like that." 

Four years later, Milbrett scored one of her most dramatic goals in the 2000 Olympics gold medal match against Norway in Sydney, Australia. Already with one goal under her belt in the match, the 5-foot 2-inch Milbrett managed to leap highest among some behemoth Norwegian defenders to head home a right-wing cross from Hamm two minutes into second-half stoppage time to knot proceedings at 2-2.

Milbrett admitted she did not remember too much of that 11th-hour scoring sequence.

"I don't even remember scoring to be honest,” she said. “I've seen it on video. It’s pretty amazing. I remember running to celebrate."

Regulation ended and stoppage time loomed. Teammate Michelle French was shaking out the Portland-born dynamo's legs. "She's just going: 'Do you know what you just did? Do you know what you just did?'" Milbrett said with a laugh. "And I'm like, 'Ok, let me just rest. I've got to get back.' I think that's what they refer to as just being in the zone. You're playing. You're focused on the task at hand." 

The U.S. lost that confrontation in extra-time. But never one to rest on her laurels, Milbrett continued at the 1999 Women’s World Cup quarter-finals, weaving through the German defense to score a memorable goal in an epic 3-2 win, in what is still considered one of the greatest women's soccer matches of all-time.

A Century of Goals
She finished her 16-year international career with 100 goals in 206 appearances, nearly a goal every other game. And when she wasn't scoring for her country, Milbrett did it for her club – the New York Power. In the Women's United Soccer Association's (WUSA) inaugural 2001 season, Milbrett bagged a unique trifecta of honors. She recorded the first hat-trick in league history, won the scoring title (16 goals) and scooped MVP honors.

Tiffeny Milbrett ended her club career with one final championship as part of FC Gold Pride in 2010.

Milbrett, who celebrates her 46^th birthday on Oct. 23, played three seasons for the Power, collecting 31 goals in 50 matches before completing her professional career in Women's Professional Soccer with FC Gold Pride, finding the net 10 times in 40 games.

These days, Milbrett is head girls coach with the Colorado Rapids. It’s not unreasonable to think, with her attitude, pedigree and work ethic molding young players, perhaps one of those youngsters will find her way to the pinnacle of the beautiful game the same way Tiffeny Milbrett did.

With a ticket to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup on the line, the U.S. Women’s National Team will resume Group A play at the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship against Panama on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1 & UDN. Panama currently sits in second place in the standings – behind the USA – after defeating Trinidad & Tobago 3-0 in its opening match of the tournament. The USA is coming off a resounding 6-0 victory against Mexico that featured goals from Alex Morgan (2), Megan Rapinoe (2), Julie Ertz and Tobin Heath.

WCQ GROUP A STANDINGS

The USA and seven other countries are participating in the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship with three direct berths available to France. FOX Sports, the home of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, is showing the 2018 Concacaf Women's Championship across the FOX Sports family of networks. For viewers on the go, matches can be streamed live via FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app. FOX Sports will open the authentication level on the FOX Sports App to FS1 authentication, meaning you don’t need to have FS2 on your cable or satellite TV service to watch the USA matches.

• How to Watch the 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship .

The U.S. team holds a 12-0-2 record in 2018 and has not lost since the 2017 Tournament of Nations. It has gone 19-0-3 over the past 15 months and has averaged almost three goals per game, outscoring its opponents 71-17 over those 22 matches while scoring in all 22 games. Since the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, the USA has failed to score in a game just once (against Australia in the 1-0 loss in 2017 Tournament of Nations). That’s a 27-game span.

The WNT’s 2018 has so far featured wins over Denmark, Germany, England, Mexico (thrice), China PR (twice), Japan, Brazil and Chile (twice), along with ties vs. France and Australia.

Follow all the #USWNT and tournament action on Twitter using #OneNationOneTeam and #CWC on @ussoccer_wnt and @ussoccer_esp, and on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat (ussoccer_wnt).

U.S. Women’s National Team WCQ Roster By Position (Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (2): 18- Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride; 17/0), 1- Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 34/0)
DEFENDERS (7): 7- Abby Dahlkemper (NC Courage; 24/0), 19- Crystal Dunn (NC Courage; 70/23), 20- Hailie Mace (UCLA; 2/0), 5- Kelly O’Hara (Utah Royals FC; 109/2), 4- Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals FC; 144/0), 14- Casey Short (Chicago Red Stars; 25/0), 2- Emily Sonnett (Portland Thorns FC; 22/0)
MIDFIELDERS (5): 6- Morgan Brian (Chicago Red Stars; 79/6), 8- Julie Ertz (Chicago Red Stars; 67/17); 9- Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns FC; 57/6), 16- Rose Lavelle (Washington Spirit; 14/3), 3- Samantha Mewis (NC Courage; 38/7)
FORWARDS (6): 17-Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns; 139/22), 10- Carli Lloyd (Sky Blue FC; 260/102), 13- Alex Morgan (Orlando Pride; 148/92), 12- Christen Press (Utah Royals FC; 104/45), 11- Mallory Pugh (Washington Spirit; 38/12), 15- Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign FC; 141/40)

STORYLINES

USA vs. Panama: The Women’s National Team for the USA and Panama have only played once in the history of the programs at the senior level. For Panama, this is its third time competing in a Concacaf Women’s Championship. Panama competed in the final round of the 2002 and 2006 Concacaf qualifying tournaments, meeting the USA in 2002, a 9-0 loss in Seattle, Washington, in a game that saw 2018 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Tiffeny Milbrett tie a U.S. record with five goals in a single match. Shannon MacMillan scored twice, while Tiffany Roberts and Abby Wambach also scored.

100 Goals Watch: After adding two more goals against Mexico on Oct. 4 – the third time this year she scored a brace vs. Mexico – Alex Morgan now has 92 goals and at age 29 sits in sole possession of seventh place on the USA’s all-time goal scoring list. She has scored 19 goals over her last 21 WNT matches through the end of 2017 and deep into 2018. With her hat trick against Japan on July 26, the fourth of her career, Morgan is now fourth all-time in multi-goal games (24) behind Abby Wambach (45), Mia Hamm (38) and Michelle Akers (25). She has 20 career two-goal games.

Ticket to France 2019 on the Line: The 2018 Concacaf Women’s Championship will qualify three teams to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France and a fourth into a two-game playoff with Argentina, the third-place team from South America. The USA is playing all its group matches at the 10,000-seat Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. After round-robin play, the top two finishers from Group A, as well as the top two from Group B which will be playing its group games in Edinburg, Texas, will move on to the all-important semifinals in Frisco, Texas. The winners of the semifinals qualify for France, along with the winner of the Third-Place Match. The loser of the Third-Place Match heads into the two-game playoff.

2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers: The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held from June 7-July 7 in nine cities in France. So far, 15 countries have qualified with teams from Concacaf, Africa and Oceania still to be determined. The Final Draw for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be conducted in Paris on December 8. This will be the second World Cup with 24 nations, up from 16 that were in Germany in 2011. The qualified nations are: host, France; England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Spain and Sweden from UEFA. Brazil and Chile from South America, and Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic and Thailand from the AFC.

Concacaf Women’s World Cup Qualifying History: The USA is 28-1-0 all-time in CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying, including 14-0-0 at home. This will be the seventh Concacaf Cup qualifying tournament that USA has contested. The U.S. women have won five of six of those tournaments, finishing first in the qualifying competitions for the 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cups. The USA finished third in the qualifying tournament for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup and had to go through a two-game playoff against Italy to qualify for Germany 2011. The USA played Canada in the championship game of each of the first four tournaments in which both participated (the USA did not have to qualify as host in 1999). The USA has scored 164 goals in WWC qualifying (an average of 5.7 per game) while allowing five, and has played nine different countries in World Cup qualifying with Mexico being the most common opponent with seven games between the teams.

Qualifying Goal Scorers: Seven players on this U.S. roster have scored in Women’s World Cup qualifying: Carli Lloyd (7), Megan Rapinoe (5), Alex Morgan (4), Tobin Heath (3), Christen Press (2), Julie Ertz (1) and Morgan Brian (1). With one more goal, Lloyd would tie Brandi Chastain, April Heinrichs and Tiffeny Milbrett for sixth all-time in World Cup qualifying. Since the start of 2017, four players have been directly involved (goals or assists) in more than 10 goals: Morgan (24), Rapinoe (19), Pugh (13) and Horan (12). Since the start of 2016, six players have at least 20 goals+assists for the U.S. in international play:

Caps in Cary : The U.S. WNT has played eight matches at Salhen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, home to the 2018 NWSL Champion North Carolina Courage. The USA has won all eight games in Cary and allowed just three goals over those games, two in a dramatic 3-2 win vs. Australia in 2008 that was played in the pouring rain and featured a last gasp game-winner from Carli Lloyd.