I would say the youth systems in Germany have impressed me the most and how they grow their youth players into full professionals.

I was always, you know, a decent player growing up. And yes, I was born with a certain amount of so-called 'natural ability.' But I also worked and sacrificed a lot to try to maximize what I was born with - which I think is important to point out.

I played with the youth national team, I played in some CONCACAF games, and it's always physical; it's always intense.

I was always very small, so growing up, I was always getting kicked around. It was something I kind of grew up with.

To be honest, the football and the time is going so fast. I don't want to say that I've forgotten about the World Cup, but for me, it belongs to the past. I don't have time to make a step backwards and think about the World Cup.

It's quite a famous story that takes place on Christmas Eve, and the Germans, French, and Scottish are trying to make peace one night and they bury their dead and they play football. I play a German opera singer, in German, which I never have so I am really excited about that.

I work out more during a full four hours of a football game than I ever do in my workouts.

One thing about me is that my parents didn't force me to be an athlete.