Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
When it comes to cup competitions and the Champions League, it's always about going as far as we can. Getting out of the group stage is the first objective, then after that, we will see.
I try to focus on the next week and the next game every time, focus on what I'm doing right now and just to continue to improve every single day. If I do that, I should have a good future.
The expectations some Americans put on me is too much, is what I would say. But I don't take it that way. I know no one means harm to me like that or wanting to put too much pressure on me.
Wherever I am on the field, I'm just trying to be an attacking presence and constantly be on their back four and try to make a difference in that way. So it doesn't matter where I play for my club.
I've been fortunate that I have good athletic ability, just in general. Quick, strong, able to bounce off players, trying to be strong in winning tackles, and annoying to play against, pretty much.
In a moment, or type of pressure, you just go out, and I play like I always do. Because it's a big moment, I'm not going to shy away and not show my talents. I'll show what I can do and show it every game.
Luckily, I've just had a lot of people around me that have helped me through it because I wouldn't even be close to where I am if I didn't have the support system I do. I wouldn't be able to do it on my own.
It's definitely one of my biggest passions - I played every day after school with all my friends from high school in Pennsylvania. They weren't really soccer players, so we would play basketball all the time.
I was watching the 2014 World Cup, and I was playing with the U-17s, I think, at the time. I remember watching it in the summer, and I was like, 'You know what? It's a pretty crazy goal, but I want to be there in 2018.'
Just knowing that people are going to the game or something with your jersey on and supporting you is really exciting and was a dream of mine. Every time I see it at Dortmund, at games, it's still exciting and gets you really excited to play.
I was always, you know, a decent player growing up. And yes, I was born with a certain amount of so-called 'natural ability.' But I also worked and sacrificed a lot to try to maximize what I was born with - which I think is important to point out.
I've never seen a town that's so connected and so proud of their team and so passionate about the game. That's what makes Dortmund stand out so much. The weather isn't very good, but it's just a great town to live in. It's really known for the soccer.
It's been a big flaw of ours in the soccer department that a lot of our best athletes go and play other sports. But I think young players have seen me, and others, go over to Europe and play in some of the best leagues - and MLS is improving so much, too.
In the U.S. system, too often the best player on an under-17 team will be treated like a 'star' - not having to work for the ball, being the focus of the offense at all times, etc. - at a time when they should be having to fight tooth and nail for their spot.
I was very young, but I just remember going to school every day in England, which I didn't enjoy. Every day, as soon as the bell would ring, we would go out and be on this little - it looked like a basketball court, but it was a soccer court with goals and a hard floor.
I think - I hope - that we're going to be able to build something here with U.S. Soccer, where it's not just going to be about one lost match or one lost cycle or one lost team. It's going to be about an entire country rallying around an entire sport in a way that lasts.
It's hard to always listen to your dad when you get older. You want to move on, but he has the knowledge. I think he did just the right amount of pushing me but also letting me do my thing, and just making sure that I always enjoyed the game, and I'm not feeling pressured.
It's not just about getting the ball and figuring out every time how you can keep possession, because there are plenty of players who can do that. That's just not how I view my performances. It's about, What can I do to change the game and the attacking aspect of the game?
A lot of people have asked me what's it like being an American player in Europe. 'Do you have to earn more respect because you're American?' But I don't think it's like that at all. I think if you're good, you're good. They don't care where you're from or anything like that.
I played one year of competitive basketball, actually. I don't remember what grade I was in, maybe middle school or something. I was the point guard - I was the smallest one always. I did my best; I thought I did pretty good. I was always a little bit better at soccer, so I had to make the decision.
It really does frustrate me when I watch MLS, and I see our best U-17 players - who, again, are so talented and so capable - being rostered... but then not being put on the field much to actually play. I watch that, and I just think about how I was given a chance... a real chance... and it changed my life.
Why is it that E.U. players are allowed to move country once they turn 16... but non-Europeans can only do so at 18? Why aren't we campaigning for a level playing field, where our best 16 year olds - who may not have an E.U. passport like I had - are free to move when they turn 16, like the best young players in Europe can?