Becky Sauerbrunn

“We joke that St. Louis people love their own.”

“I kind of had to convince myself when I was playing for the Washington Freedom that this was the highest level that I'm going to reach. 'I'm going to be a professional player, and I'm going to try and be the best one I can be, but it's maybe just not in my cards to be an international player. I won't play in a World Cup.' That was hard for me.”

“We put in the same amount of time, effort, and we do the same amount of work requirements. We feel like that should be equal, and we should get the same amount of money as the men.”

“If they don't score, we can't lose.”

“Success doesn't motivate me as much as integrity does. Everyone loses. I enjoy the pressure of showing up every single day, being focused, putting forth my best effort, getting the best out of my teammates, and enjoying the journey.”

“St. Louis has a super-rich history of soccer, so I was very fortunate growing up to have coaches that played.”

“I actually got my start playing indoor soccer with the boys, a bunch of boys I played with. We eventually became a club team and then essentially got to the point where I couldn't be a girl on the boys' team, so I switched over to JB Marine.”

“Winning the World Cup is definitely the highlight of my career. I thought the gold medal at the Olympics would peak it, but winning the World Cup, the reception... it's what we all dreamed of when we were little.”

“I think everyone, including myself, was pretty surprised the first Freedom goal came from me. So when I think about that goal, all I can really do is laugh at the incredibility of it.”

“That's one of the best parts of my job. I love interacting with the community, getting out there and getting to know people and making bonds with the community.”

“As a defender, how much ground I cover isn't up to me. I'm defending against a forward, so her movement determines my movement.”

“Although offensive play is important, it's defending that gets you titles.”

“There's no justification to not be paid the same as the men. We do everything the men do.”

“It's a rare treat to be able to play in front of friends and family.”

“With soccer, it's such a dynamic sport. It's important that however you play, you should be training like that.”

“The toughest part of my career was at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics and wanting so much to play and physically contribute - but having to understand and realize that it's just not my time.”

“If I could play a game and not have to tackle, I know that I did everything right. I organized everyone the right way, read every play the right way.”

“If you've done the work, done the training sessions, when you go into these games, you should feel ready. All you can ask is, 'Did you do your best, and try your best,' and then what happens, happens.”

“Soccer, more often than not, helps to unite the world. What this Muslim ban is doing is dividing it: separating 'Us' and 'Them' to another degree, adding more division to a country that already struggles with race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender.”

“You think about the legacy that you leave behind, and I've been very fortunate to be part of a very successful team, but I think the fight for equal pay and respect is something that goes beyond the field. I think it is very important, something that I'm very willing to take on to help the generations that come behind me.”