USWNT’s 1985 team honored 40 years later with limited jersey collection sale

Forty years ago today, the U.S. women’s national team’s story began with the grit of underdogs, a roster of college players and a sewing kit.

On Aug. 18, 1985, a hastily assembled squad of 17 players took the field at the four-team Mundalito soccer tournament in Jesolo, Italy. The 85ers, as they’re known now, had trained together for only three days under coach Mike Ryan before taking the pitch. They were so ill-prepared that they had to stitch “USA” letters onto oversized, hand-me-down men’s jerseys the night before the flight.

“There were no expectations for that first U.S. women’s national team because there was no precedent,” Michelle Akers, FIFA’s Player of the Century, world champion, Olympic gold medalist and an original ’85er, told The Athletic. “There was no history, there was no legacy. We didn’t know what to expect. They gave us a new pair of cleats and $10 a day per diem. We thought sewing on patches is what we do because that’s what we had done our entire playing careers up to that point.”

Now, 40 years later, they will finally have a jersey of their own, which was co-designed by all 17 players to reflect their story. Led by Akers, the group of pioneers is taking control of their legacy with the creation of The 85ers LLC, an athlete-owned business powered by Jaymee Messler’s (Player’s Tribune) Storied Sport. The group is also releasing a memorabilia collection, their first official merchandise, including a jersey, in collaboration with The Realest, an authentication platform for collectibles in sports and entertainment.

The jersey was in Akers’ head for over a decade, but things got accelerated after they collaborated with Storied Sport.

“I’ve known Jaymee [Messler] for a long time, and when she introduced me to Michelle (Akers) we instantly clicked. The moment that really hit me was when Michelle told me, ‘We didn’t even have our own jerseys—they gave us men’s jerseys to wear.’ For a national team, that just felt unbelievable,” The Realest founder and CEO Scott Keeney told The Athletic. “We designed something modernized but true to the colors and style of that first game in 1985.” Keeney’s team expanded the collection into a full capsule (trading cards, shirts, hats) for fans to connect to that history in different ways.

“It’s about taking something that was overlooked at the time and flipping it into a moment of pride.”

The Realest does not have a traditional licensing deal with the 85ers, and Keeney did not disclose details of the revenue share but said 85ers will be able to “monetize their own story for the very first time.” The collection will also be available for sale on 85ers’ website.

The national team’s existence was largely overlooked in 1985. The group has since begun receiving greater recognition in the past two years, beginning with a 2023 reunion in Asheville, N.C., followed by a 2024 celebration in Kansas City.

“To have these jerseys now available for us with our names on them, created by us for us, is really special,” Akers said. “It’s continuing this legacy that we started 40 years ago, but also hopefully it’ll impact other people and bring together the past generations into the future. So that’s part of the dream too, but that jersey signifies all of it.”

(Top photo: The Realest)