Carli Lloyd

To be among the world's greatest athletes and compete for Team U.S.A. while knowing that the entire world is watching is something that athletes dream about. To be able to experience that was truly special. ”

Basically my whole life revolves around soccer. I don't take many vacations. Everything just gets put on the back burner because of my training. I miss out on a lot of weddings and family functions. But at the end of the day, I'm sitting here as a world champion, and it feels pretty good. ”

In men's sports, people criticize coaches and managers all the time, call out teammates, too, and it's not that huge of a deal. Often, the guy speaking out is even lauded for having the courage to tell the truth. When it happens in women's sports, though, it always seems to be viewed as a nasty, claws-out cat fight. ”

I went from a player who was never fit to a person who actually worked hard to get myself in shape. ”

I think recovery is around the clock. Are you sleeping enough? Are you hydrating enough? Are you stretching? Are you eating well? Pretty much everything that I do is a reflection of how I'm going to feel on the field. I take great pride in getting in an ice bath after training and just taking care of myself. ”

Fitness, defending, the mental stuff - those were all weaknesses of mine. And I turned those into strengths. ”

I'm loyal. I'm real. I'm not afraid to say what I'm thinking. ”

If I've learned anything in my career, it's that nothing worthwhile in life comes easy. That's just the way it is. ”

Everything in my life - family, friends, even my fiance - are all second to soccer. And I've won every tournament where I haven't had anyone there. It just seems to work for me. I don't think I'm going to change that. ”

Winning the World Cup was a dream come true after so many years of wanting something so bad. After that final whistle, I dropped to the ground on my knees and got emotional. ”