"Everyone forgot that they were 'chicks'. Nobody knew the impact that game would have, the idea that these were athletes as opposed to female athletes."

HBO Sports' Dare to Dream, an HBO Sports documentary, premieres Sunday, December 11 at 8 p.m. (EST). It will explore the unrivaled phenomenon largely created by five individuals who played together for 17 years on the U.S. National Team: Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, Kristine Lilly and Joy Fawcett. Their enduring perseverance and success reshaped the American sports landscape, empowering millions of young girls to dream and achieve their goals.

Dare to Dream is one of the great untold sports stories of the 20th century, the story of a remarkable group of athletes who struggled for years to earn an audience, and succeeded in lifting the aspirations of young women throughout the world.

They started out on empty fields in small towns and cities across America, a smattering of friends and family gathered to cheer them from the sidelines. Through 17 years of bus trips, concussions, child birth and family deaths, they survived soaring triumphs and devastating losses. Then one day they woke up to find themselves at the center of the world - cultural icons at the forefront of a revolution that would change the landscape of sports.