Becky Sauerbrunn

“The past doesn't matter. Take today.”

“It's really indescribable. All the hard work you put in and all the sacrifices.”

“I've never been the tallest or the strongest or the fastest. But I'd like to think that I can read the game well enough, that I can position myself well enough, that I can level the playing field when it comes to physical differences. When it comes to height, whoever wants the ball more is going to win it.”

“A lot of sport is being comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

“Soccer is always changing and evolving, and I think our national team has had to change with the times.”

“At the Olympics, I'm representing the United States as well as the town and people who helped shape me.”

“Defenders don't really get any sort of notoriety or anything like that.”

“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.”

“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.”

“We like to be kind of at the forefront for how all football federations should treat their female athletes.”

“I play for the America that embraces refugees from war-torn nations, for the America that welcomes all people who want the chance to experience the American Dream, for the America that appreciates the contributions from all the people it shelters.”

“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.”

“In soccer, female athletes across the world wear shoes that are not meant for us, our feet, or our game.”

“When it comes down to it, it's about putting the players on the field that will be the best 11.”

“I'm naturally competitive, and I always want to win and always want to help our team win. So I always want to be on the field.”

“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.”

“I'm very hard on myself. I think that drives me because I don't want to let people down or let myself down. That fear of failing drives me from being complacent.”

“Julie Johnston is what I would call a loud central defender, as far as how she tackles and how she plays - you notice her. And you notice her in a positive way. She's a destroyer. She interrupts plays and tackles the crap out of people. That's a very visual thing.”

“When I represent my country on the field, I do so with heartfelt gratitude to the people who fight for and defend our fundamental freedoms - to believe in whatever I want, to love whoever I want, and to be a valued member of society while doing so. That's the America I play for.”

“I'm impassioned about injury prevention as an athlete.”