Success doesn't motivate me as much as integrity does. Everyone loses. I enjoy the pressure of showing up every single day, being focused, putting forth my best effort, getting the best out of my teammates, and enjoying the journey.
Becky Sauerbrunn
It's really indescribable. All the hard work you put in and all the sacrifices.
I always have oatmeal before training or a match. It's easy on the stomach, offers so many vitamins and minerals, and is slow-burning, so it won't leave me hungry at half-time.
I kind of had to convince myself when I was playing for the Washington Freedom that this was the highest level that I'm going to reach. 'I'm going to be a professional player, and I'm going to try and be the best one I can be, but it's maybe just not in my cards to be an international player. I won't play in a World Cup.' That was hard for me.
Although offensive play is important, it's defending that gets you titles.
If they don't score, we can't lose.
Even when matches don't work out the way you planned, you've always got to stay strong in defence; it's a matter of willpower and intelligence.
We put in the same amount of time, effort, and we do the same amount of work requirements. We feel like that should be equal, and we should get the same amount of money as the men.
The past doesn't matter. Take today.
The toughest part of my career was at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics and wanting so much to play and physically contribute - but having to understand and realize that it's just not my time.
A lot of goals are scored when defenders lose their concentration for a split second and a forward makes a run in behind or gets that one extra step that leads to a shot.
I actually got my start playing indoor soccer with the boys, a bunch of boys I played with. We eventually became a club team and then essentially got to the point where I couldn't be a girl on the boys' team, so I switched over to JB Marine.
Defenders don't really get any sort of notoriety or anything like that.
If I could play a game and not have to tackle, I know that I did everything right. I organized everyone the right way, read every play the right way.
I'm very hard on myself. I think that drives me because I don't want to let people down or let myself down. That fear of failing drives me from being complacent.
A lot of young women play soccer, and it's wonderful to give them something to aspire to.
I think a lot of where I find my confidence is knowing I've prepared as well as I could have.
I always wanted to write a book. Not a romance novel. Maybe a crime thriller. Something with action. Maybe that will happen some day.
When you have somebody like Christie Rampone, with the vast experience she has had, you're going to defer to her line because she has played in so many huge games, and she knows what she's talking about.
The women's national team is a very successful team, and that success has given us a platform to speak on gender equity issues. Millions of young women play soccer in this country, and it's empowering for them to see that our contribution to the game is valued.
I've never been the tallest or the strongest or the fastest. But I'd like to think that I can read the game well enough, that I can position myself well enough, that I can level the playing field when it comes to physical differences. When it comes to height, whoever wants the ball more is going to win it.
Soccer can be very subtle; it's a very nuanced sport. If I happen to make things easy and people don't see it, that could be a reason why someone might stand out more than I do. But that's just the way I've grown up playing the game.
Julie Johnston is what I would call a loud central defender, as far as how she tackles and how she plays - you notice her. And you notice her in a positive way. She's a destroyer. She interrupts plays and tackles the crap out of people. That's a very visual thing.
Soccer, more often than not, helps to unite the world. What this Muslim ban is doing is dividing it: separating 'Us' and 'Them' to another degree, adding more division to a country that already struggles with race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender.
When I represent my country on the field, I do so with heartfelt gratitude to the people who fight for and defend our fundamental freedoms - to believe in whatever I want, to love whoever I want, and to be a valued member of society while doing so. That's the America I play for.
I play for the America that embraces refugees from war-torn nations, for the America that welcomes all people who want the chance to experience the American Dream, for the America that appreciates the contributions from all the people it shelters.
Soccer is an uncomfortable sport. You're running; you're getting tackled.
A man's foot is wider, so when I would wear men's cleats, my foot would be sliding inside of it, so it's nice to be secure because then your body's not compensating, and you're not getting injuries.
That's one of the best parts of my job. I love interacting with the community, getting out there and getting to know people and making bonds with the community.
When it comes down to it, it's about putting the players on the field that will be the best 11.
The way I play, it's very much more a mental game than a physical game. I'm looking for space and where are players leaving space. Defensively, where are we at numerical disadvantages? Do I shift more to the left because they have more players on their right side? It's about reading the game before the game happens.
At the Olympics, I'm representing the United States as well as the town and people who helped shape me.
St. Louis has a super-rich history of soccer, so I was very fortunate growing up to have coaches that played.
Soccer is always changing and evolving, and I think our national team has had to change with the times.
U.S. Soccer has no justification for paying us as little as they do.
In soccer, female athletes across the world wear shoes that are not meant for us, our feet, or our game.
With soccer, it's such a dynamic sport. It's important that however you play, you should be training like that.
If you've done the work, done the training sessions, when you go into these games, you should feel ready. All you can ask is, 'Did you do your best, and try your best,' and then what happens, happens.
It's always been a dream of mine to be an Olympian.
I'm impassioned about injury prevention as an athlete.
It's lucky I haven't been in a bad tackle. I could be prepared, but if my body gets wrenched in the wrong way, I can't help that.
Anything you train can be improved upon. If you do it over and over again, your body is going to remember these moves and not be surprised in the game.
I wasn't shuffling from one sport to the next that much. I had downtime to just be a high school student.
We joke that St. Louis people love their own.
It's a rare treat to be able to play in front of friends and family.
Anytime that you're getting games in, you're going to get better.
It's almost ludicrous that I'm playing a game and getting paid for it. I'm just going to ride it as long as I can.
As a defender, how much ground I cover isn't up to me. I'm defending against a forward, so her movement determines my movement.
I think everyone, including myself, was pretty surprised the first Freedom goal came from me. So when I think about that goal, all I can really do is laugh at the incredibility of it.
Defending is mostly about focus.
