Mia Hamm talks playing as goalkeeper at a Women's World Cup - ESPN

Mia Hamm calls it «the longest 11 minutes of my life.»

Was she referring to the penalty shootout in the 1999 Women's World Cup final that saw the U.S. ultimately prevail over China? Nope. How about closing out the 2004 Olympic gold-medal match against Brazil? Uh-uh. Rather, it was the 11 minutes — give or take — she played as a goalkeeper against Denmark at the 1995 Women's World Cup.

Imagine Wayne Gretzky donning a mask and pads in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Or women's hockey legends Hayley Wickenheiser or Cammi Granato doing the same in the Winter Olympics. Or how about Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo putting on a keeper jersey and gloves at the men's World Cup? No chance. In 1995, Hamm wasn't the household name she would become four years later at the 1999 World Cup, but she did have a World Cup winner's medal and the first of four consecutive U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year awards to her name already. She was well on her way to becoming the most recognizable female player in the world.

It makes her stint in goal completely incongruous, and yes, it took an otherworldly set of circumstances for Hamm to log time between the sticks, namely a controversial red card to starting goalkeeper Briana Scurry, along with manager Tony DiCicco having used all of his available substitutes.

And after the U.S. had secured a 2-0 win, Hamm's overriding emotion was relief as reserve keeper Saskia Webber joined her on the field for an impromptu postgame celebration.

«We were both just laughing,» Hamm recalled. «Saskia said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm glad you made it through.' I was like, 'Me too. Here are your gloves back. I don't ever want to touch them again.'»

There is a smidgen of debate over just how it was that Hamm ended up in net,