What is Brandi Chastain's Net Worth?
Brandi Chastain, a retired soccer player and coach, boasts a net worth of $3 million. From 1988 to 2004, Chastain was a key player in the United States women's national soccer team, earning 192 caps. Her contributions were pivotal in the US winning the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991 and 1999. Additionally, Chastain had a successful professional career, playing for Japanese soccer club Shiroki FC Serena and American clubs San Jose CyberRays, FC Gold Pride, and California Storm.
Early Life and High School
Born on July 21, 1968, in San Jose, California, Brandi Chastain started playing soccer at eight. Without a girls' soccer team in her junior high, she played on the boys' team. At Archbishop Mitty High School, she led her team to three consecutive Central Coast Section championship titles.
Collegiate Career
Chastain initially attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she played as a forward for the Golden Bears in the 1986 season, scoring 15 goals and earning the Freshman Player of the Year title from Soccer America. Due to ACL surgeries on both knees, she missed the subsequent two seasons. She later transferred to Santa Clara University, guiding the Broncos to Final Four NCAA College Cup appearances in 1989 and 1990. In 1990, she led the nation in scoring with 22 goals, and won both the ISAA Player of the Year and Honda Sports Awards.
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US Women's National Team
Chastain joined the United States women's national soccer team in mid-1988, earning her first cap against Japan. She scored her first international goal in April 1991 as the US won the inaugural CONCACAF Women's Championship. Later that year, Chastain helped the US clinch the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup by defeating Norway 2-1 in the final. She missed the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup but returned for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where she aided the US in winning the gold medal in the first-ever women's soccer tournament at the Olympics.
In the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, Chastain scored the deciding penalty in the final against China, securing the US its second title. Her celebration, where she triumphantly removed her shirt to reveal her sports bra, became an iconic moment in sports history.
What Happened to Brandi Chastain's Bra?
The sports bra Chastain wore during her iconic celebration was a Nike prototype. She considered it just a bra but later donated it in 2009 to the Sports Museum of America. After the museum's bankruptcy, the bra briefly went missing but was eventually returned to Brandi. Today, it is framed and displayed in her home.
(ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
Club Play
Chastain's first senior club experience was with Japan's Shiroki FC Serena of the Nadeshiko League, where she earned MVP honors in 1993. She resumed club play in the early 2000s, playing for San Jose CyberRays in the Women's United Soccer Association, where she helped the team win the championship in 2001. Chastain later played for FC Gold Pride in 2009 and briefly for the California Storm in the Women's Premier Soccer League.
Coaching Career
Post-retirement, Chastain ventured into coaching. In 2014, she became an assistant coach at Bellarmine College Preparatory, an all-boys school in San Jose. Under her guidance, the team won its first-ever CCS open division championship title in 2018.
(Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
Sports Broadcasting Career
Chastain has also made a name for herself in sports broadcasting. She provided color commentary for NBC Sports during the Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012 and did studio commentary for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011 on ABC and ESPN. Additionally, Chastain has commentated for MLS matches.
Personal Life & Real Estate
In 1996, Chastain married Jerry Smith, head coach of the Broncos women's soccer program at Santa Clara University. They have two sons, one from Smith's previous relationship. In 2005, Chastain published her book, "It's Not About the Bra: Play Hard, Play Fair, and Put the Fun Back into Competitive Sports." In October 2000, Brandi and Jerry purchased a home in San Jose, California, for $2 million, which is now estimated to be worth $4-5 million.
