Ali Krieger

In 2003, being Virginia Player of the Year was an amazing feeling because I think that was the moment I realized I could actually, really go far in my sport, and I was actually, really good at something. At that moment, I knew that I could play at a high level.

Germany is where I had to become a true professional. They play in big games when they are young. We could model some of our soccer system after what they do.

We want to beat the best team in the world.

I have learned the hard way that concussions are not fun.

It is cliched, but you have to beat the best to be the best.

I loved Mia Hamm, and I really looked up to Julie Foudy as well, who is one of my mentors.

I try and be super vocal on the field because that's what we need, and that's what I want to do.

The World Cup focus is football. Team U.S.A. is more than football.

I joke that I only play in World Cups.

I have fallen a few times, and each time, I have gotten up and grown as a person and looked at things a little differently.

Being a World Cup winner was a dream come true.

I was No. 11 because my mom played basketball in college and was always No. 22. I just cut it in half, and I kept that. I've been No. 11 most of my life, and in college, I was No. 22.

As an athlete in my sport, you always want to go to an Olympics.

When I was 6 years old, I played on a coed indoor team. We were called the Cosmos. And then, after that, when I was 7, I played on an all-girls club team.

Any kind of dance or house, remix type music, I really love that. That will really pump me up. I really love anything Beyonce - honestly, that would pump me up.

I am super close with my brother. He is my ultimate role model. Growing up and having a family break apart, you know, when my parents divorced and things like that, it was a struggle, and all we had was each other at the time.

For me, I just set little goals for myself and stay on that kind of track and surround myself with positive people along with my teammates. I just kind of have my goals and my dreams, and this is something that we've all been working for our entire lives, so it is kind of easy to wake up and want to better myself every day towards that goal.

My dad has been my coach since I was seven years old - from 7 to 18 is when he coached my club team - and so it was always in the family. He introduced me to soccer at a young age and also kind of molded me into a good player at a young age, too. Which then I grew to love the game and be as passionate as he was.

My 20s were really tough, just traveling and living in different countries, and now I feel like I know what I want from life.

When you're at the highest point of your career at the highest level in your sport, any moment that you have these setbacks and injuries is devastating. You have to start back from zero, and you never know if you're going to get back to where you once were.

In 2005, I would have never guessed that I was at risk for a pulmonary embolism. I was 21 years-old, playing college soccer and just living the dream.

I was clipped from behind, and my leg got caught between my opponent's legs. As we fell, my leg snapped. It was a spiral fracture. They had to put in a plate and five screws. It was a devastating moment: one minute I was on cloud nine, and then I was out for the season.

I'm grateful that I got a good education and to have all the people I have around me.

I do believe that everything happens for a reason.

I feel fortunate to be a part of a football community that includes leaders who recognize the power of sport to make a difference and who, like so many of my coaches, are defined not only by their knowledge but by their ability to bring out the best in every member of their teams.

I always get made fun of by my teammates for my huge calves, but I'm like, 'they make me strong and fast!'

I love my legs because they make me powerful and they make me feel strong. They've held up ever since I was young and have helped me get where I am today and be this successful.

If you just kind of let yourself stay alone and be by yourself, the negative, it is just not going to help you.

I wish I could score as many goals as I can in 'FIFA.'

If the spaces open up in the attack, then of course I'm willing to take it because I love to get involved; I love to get crosses in. I love to do combinations and just bring a different aspect to our game.

I have to remember I am a defender first and do my job there first and foremost.

The leadership of Christine Rampone goes without saying. She is the definition of a what a leader is.

Although, at times, soccer is a challenge to mind, body, and spirit, fundamentally, the progression of the U.S. women's game and those who play it reflects a distinctively American culture, rooted in our struggle, shared aspiration, hard work and self-determination.

Our daily work ethic - that need to always do better and top our last performance - is what makes USWNT football players who we are.

Playing for the Washington Spirit, the 2013 season was one of the most difficult I have ever experienced.

There is something quintessentially American about the USWNT. Last-minute, dramatic finishes and technical finesse aside, the spirit of the program reflects a determination and perseverance that resonates with the deeply held belief that with hard work, anything is possible.

When I was 6 or 7, my gymnastics coach looked at my quads and told the other coach to come over and see my quads. They were big then and still are. But I've kind of embraced it through the years.

Football helped me build confidence on and off the field and taught me to grow through moments of success and disappointment.

As a young girl, football is where I met the people who, to this day, are my best friends. It is also where I began to learn about the important relationship between hard work, teamwork, and fun.

I cherish the relationships and friendships I have with the people in my life and take every opportunity I have to make time for them.

Personally, I always try to focus on the little things in my game. As a defender and attacking outside back, I continuously work on completing passes, not being too predictable going forward into the attack, good services into the box, good positioning and footwork.

It's always tough to play against teams that bunker or 'park the bus' inside the 18-yard box, but we always try to focus on our game and how we can overcome the obstacles that the game presents to continue to get better and score goals.

It's a privilege and an honor to play for the national team, but I think that the training that I was in at Frankfurt was the highest level right underneath.

I don't want to get to a point where I consider the national team a club team.

In general, taking soccer out of the picture, as an American living overseas, it's so cool, and I've grown so much. Now I can look at my life from a different perspective.

Anything that I can do individually to help our team is what I want to do.

Every tournament's different.

I have always dreamt of going to an Olympics and watching these incredible athletes and being motivated and inspired to want to be successful in my own sport.

I love to do lunges because I don't want my butt to start sagging. I say that to my trainer all the time; he thinks I'm nuts.

I drink coffee 30 minutes before I want to nap. I think that really helps.