Germany is where I had to become a true professional. They play in big games when they are young. We could model some of our soccer system after what they do.
I used to go to my kids' soccer games and I was the only parent who wasn't screaming, because I'd have to do a show that night. It was hard. Moms and dads get more emotional at those soccer and Little League games than at a professional game.
I was in the U.K. and Germany and went to Volkswagen and learned about their apprenticeship model - young people become paid apprentices in trades. It's not a coincidence that youth unemployment is far lower in Germany than the United States because there are paid opportunities for young people to get experience.
I had the luck with Germany. If they hadn't allowed us to come in I don't know where we would've gone or where we could go. I never ask about that. My mum said: 'Germany is our second home' and it's true. Germany gave us their open hands.
I could be a model for one night. But I'm also a professional soccer player, and I like to be taken seriously on the field.
I'm a true professional. I don't play no acting games, and I take pride in my work and being a professional.
It's been a big flaw of ours in the soccer department that a lot of our best athletes go and play other sports. But I think young players have seen me, and others, go over to Europe and play in some of the best leagues - and MLS is improving so much, too.
As a professional, you're taught from a young age to despise losing. But I began to accept that, in football, you will win some games, and you will lose some games, with draws here and there, too. That's just the nature of the game.
My hobbies are linked to the way I want to play soccer. I want to do different action things, like kite surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking, freeriding with skis. I like these sports in my free time and it could be a big link with how I want to play soccer.
For me, it is all about the bigger picture and what is right for England. I haven't enjoyed watching us play in all our games, but away in Germany, against Spain and Germany at home, I've enjoyed the performance.
So after those Games, I continued to compete that season and the year after that. I really had the goal of being intentional. I didn't want to do big tricks because it was an X Games final or an Olympics final. I wanted to call my own shots. I started to do that and I started to have more fun than I ever knew I could have.
I want young girls to dream about being professional soccer players instead of just watching the boys go out and play.
These are tough games to play. We shared the puck and we wanted everyone to get a chance to score. Tough games to play in. We want close games. That is why we train so hard. We want to show our fans some even games.
I was a soccer cheerleader. It doesn't get nerdier than that. I was fired from the soccer cheerleading squad after one year, which I believe to this day is unprecedented. You have to understand, no one went to the soccer games. In fact, I believe part of my duties as a cheerleader was to bake brownies for the team.
I once saw professional soccer up there in Seattle, the Sounders. I went and saw that. I'm not a big soccer fan, but watching a live game is unbelievable. And then I went to Italy and saw a soccer match; it's something everyone should do once. It'll blow your mind.
I've experienced first-hand how the system is in Germany. I've seen how well-developed and professional they are, even at a young age. I learned and grew so much as an individual there.
Nobody thought that I could become a professional. I was not that good. It was really just one thing I had fun doing. But it was never realistic for me to become a professional until I became 17 or maybe 18.