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.
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.
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.
It's really indescribable. All the hard work you put in and all the sacrifices.
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.
