In the tense moments of the 1999 Women's World Cup final penalty shootout, Briana Scurry's decisive save against China's Liu Ying secured a dramatic 5-4 victory for the United States. This iconic moment, forever captured in sports photography, did more than just win a trophy—it ignited a lifelong passion for soccer in a young Minnesota boy who would grow up to cover the sport professionally.
A Family's Unshakeable Faith in Their Former Foe
As extra time dwindled at the Rose Bowl, millions across America held their breath. Yet in one central Minnesota household, the atmosphere was remarkably calm. Jeff Rueter, then just five years old, recalls his soccer-loving family's unwavering confidence during the nail-biting climax. "My relatives reassured me that our team was in control," Rueter remembers, though his attention was divided between the television and summer games with his siblings.
This family certainty didn't stem from blind faith in star players like Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain. Instead, it originated from personal history. A decade before that World Cup final, Briana Scurry had been a formidable high school goalkeeper in Minnesota, facing teams that included Rueter's aunt as goalkeeper and his grandfather as coach. Those competitive encounters left an indelible impression—to Rueter's family, Scurry represented inevitability between the posts.
The Birth of a Soccer Obsession
The match has become legendary through two enduring images: Chastain's triumphant celebration, jersey in hand, and Scurry's game-saving dive. For young Jeff Rueter, witnessing his aunt's former adversary become a national hero on soccer's grandest stage sparked what would become a professional fascination with the sport. The cold statistics of that day—the 5-4 penalty result, the 90,000-plus attendance—matter less than the personal narrative that unfolded in Minnesota living rooms and across the country.
Rueter reflects that soccer's power lies not in mere data but in human stories: "When we think about the moments that hooked us on this sport, they aren't cold collections of proper nouns and statistics. They're stories, with protagonists and challenges and emotion." This storytelling potential, he argues, makes soccer one of humanity's great communal creations—a rare arena welcoming participants and fans from all backgrounds.
Joining the Guardian's Expanding US Soccer Coverage
This personal connection to soccer's narrative power has now come full circle as Jeff Rueter joins the Guardian as a soccer correspondent based in the United States. His appointment is part of the publication's significant expansion of soccer coverage ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across North America.
Rueter will be covering the sport from his base in Saint Paul, Minnesota, bringing his unique perspective shaped by that formative 1999 experience. He joins alongside two other new hires: soccer correspondent Pablo Iglesias Maurer and assistant sports editor Ella Brockway, strengthening the Guardian's commitment to comprehensive soccer journalism.
"I fell for this sport because of its storytelling potential as much as the action itself," Rueter explains. "It's why I'm grateful to do what I do for a living, now at an outlet that rewards a reader's curiosity like nobody else in the landscape." His journey from that Minnesota watch party to professional soccer journalism demonstrates how personal connections to sporting moments can shape career paths and deepen our understanding of why sports matter beyond final scores.
