Christen Press

“I gave up on the national team - I thought to myself, 'Well, that's just not something that's going to happen for me.' The national team was in residency camp; I was 6,000 miles away. Nobody was watching, nobody cared... I'm just going to go play for myself and my team and try to be great... and I had more fun than I'd have ever had.”

“On game days, I do yoga as just a really short routine. It's more to warm up and to calm down in the morning.”

“If you win games, at the top, there's no pressure to change. You change when you have to change. You change when you don't win anymore.”

“I'm very organized. I have my day-to-day schedule, every 15 minutes, written out.”

“The European leagues have been there a long time, the coaches have been there, the clubs have been there, there's history to the teams. There's already that football support culture.”

“The speed of life that top American athletes have is boom-boom-boom, and I'm a lot slower. I look before I cross, you know?”

“No Tinder, no Match, nothing. I don't mind going up to people when I'm out. I have a better chance of getting a read on them that way.”

“I really feel gratitude every day in my life that I'm able to do what I love, and I think, because I have that passion and spirit, I've had success.”

“I've learned from experience not to be too glued to one menu or routine in particular because I never know where I'm going to be and what kind of cuisine it's going to be.”

“I love Chicago. I think it's an amazing city.”

“Serena Williams is my sports idol.”

“I encourage all players to work to be their best, which includes looking for opportunities beyond the playing field.”

“I find the ball, and I think, 'Where's the ball going, and where do I need to go?' It just puts me back in the game, and it's the simplest thing, but it's become sort of like my soccer mantra. I simply use the ball as my focus point and move back into position, and the distracting thoughts disappear, and I'm right back in the game.”

“In Sweden, if a player has the ball, and you're running across the line of vision, you would never call for the ball. In the United States, if you're open, you're screaming.”

“My family is a little ridiculous. They're wild - really colorful and animated and big personalities.”

“I'm a once-a-week grocery shopper; I get everything I need for the week, and then in the morning, I have my breakfast, pack three snacks, my lunch, and drinks to stay hydrated in a little cooler. I always have a snack on hand in case I get hungry throughout the day. I love my little cooler!”

“Staying grounded, eating healthy, doing yoga, staying out of the sun to protect my skin - I think that the daily decisions we make to protect our bodies are the best ways we can care for them.”

“I'm the kind of person where I look to myself a lot on how I can get better. What little, nuanced differences can I make?”

“My first year with Gothenburg was the most carefree because I was playing on a middle-of-the-table team in Sweden. It was a lot less of the global attention.”

“Wherever I am, I always do yoga every day. I think it's so important for my physical health in sport.”