Briana Scurry, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and 1999 World Cup champion with the U.S. women's national team as a goalkeeper, is ready to share her extraordinary story with the July 12 premiere of "The Only" on Paramount+.
"The Only" is focused on Scurry, one of the pioneers of the game, as she shares her journey through the highs and lows of her career as the only Black starter on the USWNT and only openly gay player. The documentary celebrates the Hall-of-Famer's greatest on-field accomplishments, including the penalty save that propelled the United States to World Cup glory in 1999 and her Olympic triumphs in Atlanta in 1996 and in Athens in 2004. While telling the story of her triumphs, the film also explores her lesser-known experiences with deep depression stemming from the trauma of her career-ending concussion suffered in 2010.
"I was so excited to get this opportunity to tell my story, and I realized that I had to tell it all," Scurry told Poppy Miller on CBS Sports HQ (video above). I wanted to make sure that I had the amazing highs that I had on the pitch, for example, along with the very dark lows that I had, and to tell it honestly and to make sure that I gave authenticity to my whole story and people can relate to that."
The film includes interviews with former USWNT teammates and current players including Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Midge Purce and more. Twelve-time Emmy Award winner Anthony J. Cortese ("A Game of Honor" & "LT: The Life & Times") served as director and editor of the film.
"I think what most people will be surprised to learn is how bad it got for me afterwards that I essentially disappeared from the face of football landscape. And to see where I ended up and how I ended up there is crucial because it's something that's going on with the game right now with concussions," Scurry said. "To see me slide downward in such a great depth and finally, thank goodness, get out of that, I think it's going to be really exciting for people to see that and it will be meaningful just to show how much resilience that I had and how much help I had as well."
The premiere of "The Only" coincides with the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, featuring the U.S. women's national team, with every match of the tournament streaming live in the U.S. on Paramount+ and select matches airing on CBS Sports Network throughout July.
Paramount+ is the only place to stream every minute of every match in the Concacaf W Championship. You can quickly and easily sign up for your very own account right now with a free one-month trial (from June 27-July 19) by using GLORY as your offer code. Just click on the "try it free" button and use the promo code for instant access to the best women's soccer -- NWSL, FA Women's Super League, UEFA Women's World Cup qualifiers and AFC Women's Asian Cup -- across all your devices.
You can watch the trailer for the documentary down below.
Viewing information
- Documentary: 'The Only'
- Premiere date: Tuesday, July 12
- TV and live stream: Paramount+
