St. Louis has a super-rich history of soccer, so I was very fortunate growing up to have coaches that played.

We like to be kind of at the forefront for how all football federations should treat their female athletes.

The women's national team is a very successful team, and that success has given us a platform to speak on gender equity issues. Millions of young women play soccer in this country, and it's empowering for them to see that our contribution to the game is valued.

In soccer, female athletes across the world wear shoes that are not meant for us, our feet, or our game.

I like to spend Christmas with family and friends, pigging out, exchanging gifts and basically doing nothing.

My family knows they are loved. As a mother, it is my job to let them know that they are, and it's a job I take quite seriously.

Women tend to have recognition and peer group support - recognition from friends and family that this has to be a big issue in their lives. They're more comfortable expressing the need for support and receiving it.

As a parent, you want to protect your children, but the fact of racism in this country, of inequality, that is still a lesson my children are going to have to learn. I can't protect my kids from that.