“I surround myself with good people who make me feel great and give me positive energy.”
― Ali Krieger
“You can control two things: your work ethic and your attitude about anything.”
― Ali Krieger
“I can only control myself, my actions, my work ethic, and my attitude.”
― Ali Krieger
“Surround yourself with good people; surround yourself with positivity and people who are going to challenge you to make you better.”
― Ali Krieger
“There’s always room for improvement no matter what.”
― Ali Krieger
“I cherish the relationships and friendships I have with the people in my life and take every opportunity I have to make time for them.”
― Ali Krieger
“Injuries give you perspective. They teach you to cherish the moments that I might have taken for granted before.”
― Ali Krieger
“I think without struggle, you can’t grow as a person – I think you need that in your life.”
― Ali Krieger
“I have fallen a few times, and each time, I have gotten up and grown as a person and looked at things a little differently.”
― Ali Krieger
“I know it sounds crazy, but in order to run, I need something to chase after.”
― Ali Krieger
“It doesn’t matter: any weight, shape or form or however your body is, you want to be proud of it.”
― Ali Krieger
“I’m super active, so sitting on the couch and staring at the walls isn’t ideal for me.”
― Ali Krieger
“I know, firsthand, that soccer brings people together – all it takes is a ball and a few people, and the seeds of friendship are planted.”
― Ali Krieger
“I fuel up every morning, no matter if it’s with a shake or a breakfast bar on the go. I eat well, but I have my cheats. I eat cookies, chips, and have a Coke, but only on days that start with S.”
― Ali Krieger
“When you’re at the highest point of your career at the highest level in your sport, any moment that you have these setbacks and injuries is devastating. You have to start back from zero, and you never know if you’re going to get back to where you once were.”
― Ali Krieger
“Try not to completely change your diet just because you read it somewhere or someone tells you it works for them. Do what is best for your body and don’t think that just because everyone else is doing it that it will work for you. Know what fuels your body to be at its best, and enjoy the little things! Indulge! Cupcakes and cookies.”
― Ali Krieger
“My dad has always played and coached, so that’s what I knew. I played other sports but always turned toward soccer and had the same love for it as my father. They never forced me to play; I always wanted to. I was always around it.”
― Ali Krieger
“There is something quintessentially American about the USWNT. Last-minute, dramatic finishes and technical finesse aside, the spirit of the program reflects a determination and perseverance that resonates with the deeply held belief that with hard work, anything is possible.”
― Ali Krieger
“In order for me to perform the best I can out on the field, I have to fuel my body with the proper nutrients to be able to do all the running. I’m running four or five miles every game, so it’s a lot. Even at halftime, I take electrolytes and have half a peanut-butter-and-jelly or whatever is sitting there just to keep my engine running.”
― Ali Krieger
“I don’t think there’s any disappointment in my career because everything that maybe didn’t go my way was a learning experience.”
― Ali Krieger
“Everyone is an athlete. You want to go hiking, you want to go biking, you want to go jogging or for a walk? You’re automatically an athlete.”
― Ali Krieger
“For me, I just set little goals for myself and stay on that kind of track and surround myself with positive people along with my teammates. I just kind of have my goals and my dreams, and this is something that we’ve all been working for our entire lives, so it is kind of easy to wake up and want to better myself every day towards that goal.”
― Ali Krieger
“Personally, I always try to focus on the little things in my game. As a defender and attacking outside back, I continuously work on completing passes, not being too predictable going forward into the attack, good services into the box, good positioning and footwork.”
― Ali Krieger
“People ask me, ‘What were you thinking during that game-winning penalty kick in the 2011 World Cup?’ I was actually thinking absolutely nothing. I just walked up there and was so inspired by my teammates who rocked all their PKs; they just killed it. I figured I might as well do the same, or they might have my neck.”
― Ali Krieger
“I felt like the Germans were being mean to me at training, but they were actually just trying to help. I learned really quick – which made me a better player. I’m appreciative of the way they treated me. It’s just the language and, of course, as an American, I had to learn that. No offense to them; I love them to death, and I love my teammates.”
― Ali Krieger
“I love my legs because they make me powerful and they make me feel strong. They’ve held up ever since I was young and have helped me get where I am today and be this successful.”
― Ali Krieger
“It’s a part of my lifestyle to be healthy and eat healthy. I don’t feel like I need to be like, ‘You can’t have this. You can’t have that. You have to have this. You have to have that,’ because then I feel like I will get inconsistent. I indulge when I want to, but try to be healthy every single day, too.”
― Ali Krieger
“I always need a little something sweet after dinner. Although I try to stay pretty disciplined with my nutrition when I’m in season – my brother Kyle eats super clean and always gives me nutrition advice – when I want something, I have it because I feel like you can really get in trouble if you restrict yourself too much.”
― Ali Krieger
“Although, at times, soccer is a challenge to mind, body, and spirit, fundamentally, the progression of the U.S. women’s game and those who play it reflects a distinctively American culture, rooted in our struggle, shared aspiration, hard work and self-determination.”
― Ali Krieger
“I wish I could score as many goals as I can in ‘FIFA.’”
― Ali Krieger
“There are a few moments in every game when I will have to sprint and use my explosiveness to win.”
― Ali Krieger
“I drink coffee 30 minutes before I want to nap. I think that really helps.”
― Ali Krieger
“This is something I’ve dreamed of for a long, long time – to play in a World Cup.”
― Ali Krieger
“As a young girl, football is where I met the people who, to this day, are my best friends. It is also where I began to learn about the important relationship between hard work, teamwork, and fun.”
― Ali Krieger
“Lifting isn’t my favorite thing, so I have to keep it fun and do exercises that I really enjoy.”
― Ali Krieger
“In 2003, being Virginia Player of the Year was an amazing feeling because I think that was the moment I realized I could actually, really go far in my sport, and I was actually, really good at something. At that moment, I knew that I could play at a high level.”
― Ali Krieger
“I have learned the hard way that concussions are not fun.”
― Ali Krieger
“Football helped me build confidence on and off the field and taught me to grow through moments of success and disappointment.”
― Ali Krieger
“I have to remember I am a defender first and do my job there first and foremost.”
― Ali Krieger
“I was No. 11 because my mom played basketball in college and was always No. 22. I just cut it in half, and I kept that. I’ve been No. 11 most of my life, and in college, I was No. 22.”
― Ali Krieger
“The World Cup focus is football. Team U.S.A. is more than football.”
― Ali Krieger
“I feel like I have big thighs. My brother was always like, ‘Yeah, I want big thighs! Big thighs are awesome!’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, for a man!’ But I’ve trained since I was 6 years old to play soccer, and this is just the type of body I have.”
― Ali Krieger
“My dad has been my coach since I was seven years old – from 7 to 18 is when he coached my club team – and so it was always in the family. He introduced me to soccer at a young age and also kind of molded me into a good player at a young age, too. Which then I grew to love the game and be as passionate as he was.”
― Ali Krieger
“I’m proud of my body, I’m proud of my sport, I’m proud of being a female athlete.”
― Ali Krieger
“I’m proud of my thighs because they’ve gotten me to where I am today and give me the power that I have to play my best.”
― Ali Krieger
“My mantra is ‘healthy body, healthy mind.’”
― Ali Krieger
“I love to do lunges because I don’t want my butt to start sagging. I say that to my trainer all the time; he thinks I’m nuts.”
― Ali Krieger
“You never know when it’s going to be your last time to step onto the field.”
― Ali Krieger
“I think my confidence came when I turned 30. I don’t know, something about turning 30 has been unbelievable. I just feel a sense of freedom.”
― Ali Krieger
“I usually have three fried eggs every morning. It always has to be three: two is just not enough, and three won’t put me over edge.”
― Ali Krieger
“I’m the type of player that doesn’t like to play on full stomach.”
― Ali Krieger
“Just find things you think are fun, and then you’ll be more inclined to want to go work out.”
― Ali Krieger
“It’s a dream that we, as women footballers, get to play in the same stadium as the men.”
― Ali Krieger
“I think it’s nice to have a variety of lineups and formations to use against different opponents, depending on what they bring.”
― Ali Krieger
“I once thought I would never be able to kick a ball again.”
― Ali Krieger
“Everyone makes fun of my calves. They are so big. I don’t really even like them, I don’t really want them as big as they are, but I have no choice.”
― Ali Krieger
“In college, girls would come up to me: ‘I want your calves.’ It just makes me laugh. I guess people pay a lot of money to have the types of bodies athletes have.”
― Ali Krieger
“I want to get good enough so I can play in Mia Hamm’s golf tournament for her foundation and have an event of my own someday. I’m so competitive, I don’t want to go and just pretend I’m a good golfer.”
― Ali Krieger
“I love kids, and I really liked the idea of getting involved with something that was all about giving kids the opportunity to walk, run, or maybe even play soccer someday.”
― Ali Krieger
“It’s really difficult when you don’t see much of a team and you’re not familiar with how they play.”
― Ali Krieger
“On game days, I’m pretty boring: I like to rest and watch TV with my legs up so I’m not on my feet too much before the match.”
― Ali Krieger
“Because I don’t like to play on a full stomach, I try to eat a bigger meal in the morning and less throughout the day leading up to the game.”
― Ali Krieger
“When we’re traveling for games, I always go down and have breakfast with the team – that’s a must.”
― Ali Krieger
“When I was 6 or 7, my gymnastics coach looked at my quads and told the other coach to come over and see my quads. They were big then and still are. But I’ve kind of embraced it through the years.”
― Ali Krieger
“I do believe that everything happens for a reason.”
― Ali Krieger
“I’m grateful that I got a good education and to have all the people I have around me.”
― Ali Krieger
“I was clipped from behind, and my leg got caught between my opponent’s legs. As we fell, my leg snapped. It was a spiral fracture. They had to put in a plate and five screws. It was a devastating moment: one minute I was on cloud nine, and then I was out for the season.”
― Ali Krieger
“In 2005, I would have never guessed that I was at risk for a pulmonary embolism. I was 21 years-old, playing college soccer and just living the dream.”
― Ali Krieger
“My 20s were really tough, just traveling and living in different countries, and now I feel like I know what I want from life.”
― Ali Krieger
“I have to win, even if I’m just playing ping pong.”
― Ali Krieger
“I am super close with my brother. He is my ultimate role model. Growing up and having a family break apart, you know, when my parents divorced and things like that, it was a struggle, and all we had was each other at the time.”
― Ali Krieger
“Any kind of dance or house, remix type music, I really love that. That will really pump me up. I really love anything Beyonce – honestly, that would pump me up.”
― Ali Krieger
“When I was 6 years old, I played on a coed indoor team. We were called the Cosmos. And then, after that, when I was 7, I played on an all-girls club team.”
― Ali Krieger
“Being a World Cup winner was a dream come true.”
― Ali Krieger
“I joke that I only play in World Cups.”
― Ali Krieger
“I try and be super vocal on the field because that’s what we need, and that’s what I want to do.”
― Ali Krieger
“I loved Mia Hamm, and I really looked up to Julie Foudy as well, who is one of my mentors.”
― Ali Krieger
“It is cliched, but you have to beat the best to be the best.”
― Ali Krieger
“We want to beat the best team in the world.”
― Ali Krieger
“Germany is where I had to become a true professional. They play in big games when they are young. We could model some of our soccer system after what they do.”
― Ali Krieger
“As an athlete in my sport, you always want to go to an Olympics.”
― Ali Krieger
“I have always dreamt of going to an Olympics and watching these incredible athletes and being motivated and inspired to want to be successful in my own sport.”
― Ali Krieger
“Every tournament’s different.”
― Ali Krieger
“Anything that I can do individually to help our team is what I want to do.”
― Ali Krieger
“In general, taking soccer out of the picture, as an American living overseas, it’s so cool, and I’ve grown so much. Now I can look at my life from a different perspective.”
― Ali Krieger
“I don’t want to get to a point where I consider the national team a club team.”
― Ali Krieger
“It’s a privilege and an honor to play for the national team, but I think that the training that I was in at Frankfurt was the highest level right underneath.”
― Ali Krieger
“It’s always tough to play against teams that bunker or ‘park the bus’ inside the 18-yard box, but we always try to focus on our game and how we can overcome the obstacles that the game presents to continue to get better and score goals.”
― Ali Krieger
“I feel fortunate to be a part of a football community that includes leaders who recognize the power of sport to make a difference and who, like so many of my coaches, are defined not only by their knowledge but by their ability to bring out the best in every member of their teams.”
― Ali Krieger
“Playing for the Washington Spirit, the 2013 season was one of the most difficult I have ever experienced.”
― Ali Krieger
“Our daily work ethic – that need to always do better and top our last performance – is what makes USWNT football players who we are.”
― Ali Krieger
“The leadership of Christine Rampone goes without saying. She is the definition of a what a leader is.”
― Ali Krieger
“If the spaces open up in the attack, then of course I’m willing to take it because I love to get involved; I love to get crosses in. I love to do combinations and just bring a different aspect to our game.”
― Ali Krieger
“If you just kind of let yourself stay alone and be by yourself, the negative, it is just not going to help you.”
― Ali Krieger
“I always get made fun of by my teammates for my huge calves, but I’m like, ‘they make me strong and fast!’”
― Ali Krieger
Leave a Reply