My failures were something for me - my first contact with professional football. Though it didn't go all that well, it's not a regret, it's just like that. But looking back, those failures helped me consider football differently, consider the professional game differently.

I can talk with my team-mates, understand them and it's better for understanding the coaching staff and the game itself. If someone's making a run and they shout for the ball, I know now.

I came to Chelsea to work, to keep learning and to keep improving.

Whatever you did in the past is quickly forgotten.

In the end, I want to be an inspiration to somebody.

I read the personal stories everyone shares with me - those stories inspire me to keep going, and in doing so, I hope that I can inspire them in return.

Most of us commit to action only if we feel a certain level of motivation. And we feel motivation only when we feel enough emotional inspiration.

My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.