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.
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.
Defenders must be careful yet decisive when taking action.
I know that I'm not the fastest or the strongest or the best in the air, so from a very early age, I had to be positionally sound, or I was going to get beat. So you just kind of learn as you grow.
When I started with the national team, it was made very clear I was going to be the backup to Christie Rampone and Rachel Buehler. So for the first few years, it was just me training my heart out and pushing those centerbacks to be the best they could be.
The game can be quite dangerous when you look at certain injuries, especially head injuries.
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.
I've always been very hard on myself, and I never want to get to a point where I'm like, 'Alright, I'm kicking butt,' but I know I need to be confident because I think that will take my game to the next level.
There's no justification to not be paid the same as the men. We do everything the men do.
When I'm on the field, I don't want to be worrying about my cleats. I want them to enhance my playing style.
A lot of sport is being comfortable with being uncomfortable.
You think about the legacy that you leave behind, and I've been very fortunate to be part of a very successful team, but I think the fight for equal pay and respect is something that goes beyond the field. I think it is very important, something that I'm very willing to take on to help the generations that come behind me.
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.
We like to be kind of at the forefront for how all football federations should treat their female athletes.
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.
