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I grew up playing in the schoolyard with the boy, and on the side of the grounds my dad coached on. I have a lot of fond memories.
When I first took over the team in 2014, the message was, even if you're on the right track, if you sit there, you'll get run over.
If you ask my dad, I'm always the person that found the little bird out of the nest and is trying to put it back or take care of it.
Players don't change drastically. Maybe they get more in form if they're a goal scorer, or they get healthier if they've been injured.
When I used to recruit in college, my sole job was to out-recruit what I had. And if I did that, I knew we would grow and be successful.
I grew up in a military family, and my dad was gone for long periods of time. Families make it work because you know you care for each other.
When you go to a World Cup, in midfield you need to have players who can score from distance, who can get in the box and obviously play-make.
If I walk into a room, I'm quite content to sit in the corner and chat with people who walk by. But coaching forced me to come out of my shell.
We've got to make sure we have players that can break teams down because there's no space in behind; we need to problem-solve in a different way.
If a team has multiple looks, it's so hard to stand in front of your team and say, 'This is the scouting report. This is what you have to prepare for.'
Especially in the States, at every level - whether it's collegiate, whether it's our professional league - we need more women in coaching, 100 percent.
Sometimes it is the mentality that is really important. To have players with self-belief makes my job a lot easier, as they are certainly motivated and hungry.
You've got to make sure you're listening to the people that are important to listen to. And then everything else, you kind of have to tune out and do your thing.
If we're looking at the pure development of our game, the challenge is not to have a 200-cap player because that means there is something better that is coming along.
Little things that I've emphasized are turning in pockets and looking to penetrate and finding these spaces and playing at a good tempo when we're in the middle third.
It's easy for a player to stand out in two or three days. But the grind of a camp, and just the level of consistency in performance that requires, that needs to happen.
The players come out and want to be as fresh as they can, press, keep a team in their end, create chances, create set pieces, and really try and get the upper hand early.
I went into coaching never worrying about what I was coaching for other than trying to make sure that I can prepare my team, select my team, have an amazing staff around me.
Ultimately, we've got to make sure our players understand that the margin for error is very small against these top teams in the world, and we've been punished several times for that.
When you have a group of players with self-belief... nine times out of 10, players can be very talented to make the roster, but they need that quality, and it is pivotal at a World Cup.
Many people say, 'Your dad was so ahead of his time,' and he was a feminist in the truest sense, but he's very much for opportunities for all people... To him, a soccer player is a soccer player.
Coming out of 2015, I just realized it's OK not to look perfect. It's OK to make sure that your players remain in that bubble, stay focused and true to who we are, and keep the belief internally.
You don't go into coaching if you're not willing to step into that moment and go, 'OK, this is what it's going to take, and this is why you do it.' Everything hinges on winning and losing, right?
You spend a lot of time as a coach going through every possible scenario. That's the kind of level of depth and versatility you have to go through. When I did that, things started to really fall into place.
When all is said and done, I always used to say this to recruits: 'I don't remember one goal I scored. I don't remember one result. I just remember the people that touched my life and that connected with me.'
Coaches understand that pressure is part of the rush of coaching. The challenge of trying to outplay your opponent is part of the fun, the adrenaline, the preparation, seeing your team evolve. It's why coaches become coaches.
My dad has a certain spirit, a twinkle in his eye, someone who can set a certain standard for players but also convey it with humor. What I learned from him is that coaching is, more than anything, about connecting with people.
I truly think if I had stayed in England, I'm not sure I would be coaching. So what America gave me was kind of a dream and the opportunity and ability to follow that path, which I really had never dreamed about. I just feel very fortunate to be here.
Many, many years ago, when you named alternates, and they wouldn't travel with you - I think you're dealing with a small roster. Now you travel with these alternates, which you can replace at any time, obviously, if it's a medical situation, so you have it in your back pocket.
You've got to turn over every stone; you've got to look for every advantage. You need to make sure you're doing everything you possibly can, not just on the field but off it, to give your team an advantage - from having a sleep expert coming to talk to your team to having an independent analysis of your team done.
There are a lot of programs, a lot of teams now that have the backing of federations, the growth of the game domestically. You see this with Holland; you see this with Italy. It's a matter of time. I had to leave my home country to go and experience the game. Now, it's delightful that these countries are actively supporting women's football.