I need to just give - everything that I do, every single day - my all. I just need to. Life is short. We have one life to live. And I need to be able to push for my kid.
It's exciting to play against old teammates, old friends.
You're always supposed to follow-up any cross or whatever towards the goalkeeper.
What I am working hardest for is for my kid, for a better future for him.
Just getting paid for six months out of the year is unacceptable in any kind of job.
I know all the girls; we all have something to play for, we all have this goal, and we're all on the same page as to what we want at the end of the day. But as for me, I have something a little bit more to play for, and that's my kid.
I'm not just working for myself anymore. I'm working for my kid as well, someone who's actually looking up to me on a whole other level than the younger generation.
Being here in Houston, I have a lot more weight on my shoulders than I did in Portland. I feel a lot more appreciated because I am starting now, and I'm scoring goals.
I need to keep my focus as an individual and keep supporting my team.
Both of my parents were both multi-sport athletes. Their mindset was, be an athlete as long as possible, up until they became parents. And so they dropped their dreams for their children.
For me as a mom, not an allocated player, there have been some years that have been a difficult journey because NWSL doesn't really support mothers.
Sometimes I wear makeup while I play - I did it during the World Cup because the cameras were always on us, but for club, not so much. If I'm wearing it on the field, I try not to apply too much.
In high school and college, I always, always straightened my hair. Don't ask why; I was just so into my image. Post-college, I started wearing my hair natural.
I haven't had any injuries since I've had my kid, so I think it's changed my body externally and internally. I don't know what it is, but I hadn't felt so great, body-wise, until I had my kid. I look more in shape, and I feel more in shape. And speaking from a confidence side, it's changed me in such a positive way.
I was born and raised in Phoenix.
My grandmother - my inspiration - was a single mom with nine kids, and she helped raise me.
If anything as simple as child care was covered by the league or your organization, that would be life-changing for moms, especially when we're scraping pennies. Maybe we would have more moms in this league if something like that was there for us, but I feel like we're far from that.
My parents gave up on their dreams in sports because they were athletes, and they had me at such an early age. I didn't want to do that.
There were days when I would just go home and cry because it was that hard, but I didn't want to give up just because things got hard, just because I was a mom.
I was one of those players that had to come in and prove that I can belong on this field with these girls, and I can hang in this league as well.
