Jessica McDonald

Sometimes women's soccer can be political.

After having a child, my career just skyrocketed. You have all that weight to kill off - you're working 10 times harder.

Just getting paid for six months out of the year is unacceptable in any kind of job.

I know all the girls; we all have something to play for, we all have this goal, and we're all on the same page as to what we want at the end of the day. But as for me, I have something a little bit more to play for, and that's my kid.

That's what pushes me every day to want to be successful on the soccer field - being able to not only take care of my kid on a financial level and be stable but, most importantly, to inspire my child.

I'm trying to take care of my kid, and the only way to do that is obviously being financially stable.

Being here in Houston, I have a lot more weight on my shoulders than I did in Portland. I feel a lot more appreciated because I am starting now, and I'm scoring goals.

It's just an amazing feeling to walk barefooted in some nice grass.

There were days when I would just go home and cry because it was that hard, but I didn't want to give up just because things got hard, just because I was a mom.

For me as a mom, not an allocated player, there have been some years that have been a difficult journey because NWSL doesn't really support mothers.

Being able to go home to my kid is such a relief because he's such a happy kid. He balances my life out in such a good way.

When you become a parent, obviously it changes your life in so many ways.