Megan Rapinoe

“For the record, I am gay.”

“I have chosen to kneel because I simply cannot stand for the kind of oppression this country is allowing against its own people.”

“We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.”

“With the national team, we have these fans, people love of us, people come up to us in our cities, and they're like, 'We love you - what are you doing in Seattle?' And I'm like, 'I live here, and I've played here for the last five years.'”

“When we, as a nation, put our minds to something, when we truly choose to care about something, change always happens.”

“We're gracious and we're humble, and we play the game a certain way, whether we win or lose.”

“Being female and an advocate for equal opportunities, I want to see an equal representation in people applying for the head coach job for the women's team.”

“Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.”

“I need to feel like I have that freedom to make mistakes and to just try things.”

“I take playing for my country very seriously. It's a huge honor.”

“We're a pretty strong bunch, and we have pretty lofty goals. For us, the manager is very important in a lot of ways, but also, we have a job to do, and that's to go out and win.”

“I think we need to keep our faces out there and to keep our game out there and keep it growing.”

“I think people now - you know, a lot of athletes have come out and said, I would definitely accept, you know, a gay male athlete in the locker room and on my team.”

“I can understand if you think that I'm disrespecting the flag by kneeling, but it is because of my utmost respect for the flag and the promise it represents that I have chosen to demonstrate in this way.”

“I would say it's part tomboy, part hipster, definitely part want-to-be-very-comfortable. Fashion is a way for me to express myself. I guess I'm vain in that sense. It's not a bad thing.”

“I think it's absolutely absurd that we're playing on turf, and it's really a slap in the face to women's football by FIFA and just a show of disrespect.”

“I think it's very difficult, and people don't give enough credit to how hard it is to do in-game commentary. I'd have a lot of work to do, but I'd definitely be interested. I'm always interested in breaking down the game, and I'd love to see more females doing it.”

“I think, bottom line, I have to be good enough to make the team. I have to bring something in and beat somebody else out, especially with a smaller roster for the Olympics.”

“We didn't lose a game at home for two years. What are we missing? We have the product on the field. We're exciting.”

“Maybe you are homophobic a little bit, but then you see me, and you've always loved me, and you love the way I play, and your kids love me. And then you're like, 'Oh, that's OK. It's fine.' Once it gets a little bit more personal, it helps break down those barriers.”