“Success doesn’t motivate me as much as integrity does. Everyone loses. I enjoy the pressure of showing up every single day, being focused, putting forth my best effort, getting the best out of my teammates, and enjoying the journey.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Even when matches don’t work out the way you planned, you’ve always got to stay strong in defence; it’s a matter of willpower and intelligence.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“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.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“If you’ve done the work, done the training sessions, when you go into these games, you should feel ready. All you can ask is, ‘Did you do your best, and try your best,’ and then what happens, happens.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“The past doesn’t matter. Take today.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’ve never been the tallest or the strongest or the fastest. But I’d like to think that I can read the game well enough, that I can position myself well enough, that I can level the playing field when it comes to physical differences. When it comes to height, whoever wants the ball more is going to win it.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“The game can be quite dangerous when you look at certain injuries, especially head injuries.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’ve always been very hard on myself, and I never want to get to a point where I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m kicking butt,’ but I know I need to be confident because I think that will take my game to the next level.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I actually got my start playing indoor soccer with the boys, a bunch of boys I played with. We eventually became a club team and then essentially got to the point where I couldn’t be a girl on the boys’ team, so I switched over to JB Marine.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“You think about the legacy that you leave behind, and I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a very successful team, but I think the fight for equal pay and respect is something that goes beyond the field. I think it is very important, something that I’m very willing to take on to help the generations that come behind me.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I play for the America that embraces refugees from war-torn nations, for the America that welcomes all people who want the chance to experience the American Dream, for the America that appreciates the contributions from all the people it shelters.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“When it comes down to it, it’s about putting the players on the field that will be the best 11.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“The way I play, it’s very much more a mental game than a physical game. I’m looking for space and where are players leaving space. Defensively, where are we at numerical disadvantages? Do I shift more to the left because they have more players on their right side? It’s about reading the game before the game happens.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’m very hard on myself. I think that drives me because I don’t want to let people down or let myself down. That fear of failing drives me from being complacent.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I always have oatmeal before training or a match. It’s easy on the stomach, offers so many vitamins and minerals, and is slow-burning, so it won’t leave me hungry at half-time.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’m naturally competitive, and I always want to win and always want to help our team win. So I always want to be on the field.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Soccer can be very subtle; it’s a very nuanced sport. If I happen to make things easy and people don’t see it, that could be a reason why someone might stand out more than I do. But that’s just the way I’ve grown up playing the game.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Julie Johnston is what I would call a loud central defender, as far as how she tackles and how she plays – you notice her. And you notice her in a positive way. She’s a destroyer. She interrupts plays and tackles the crap out of people. That’s a very visual thing.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“If I could play a game and not have to tackle, I know that I did everything right. I organized everyone the right way, read every play the right way.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Soccer, more often than not, helps to unite the world. What this Muslim ban is doing is dividing it: separating ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ to another degree, adding more division to a country that already struggles with race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“When I represent my country on the field, I do so with heartfelt gratitude to the people who fight for and defend our fundamental freedoms – to believe in whatever I want, to love whoever I want, and to be a valued member of society while doing so. That’s the America I play for.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Soccer is an uncomfortable sport. You’re running; you’re getting tackled.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“A man’s foot is wider, so when I would wear men’s cleats, my foot would be sliding inside of it, so it’s nice to be secure because then your body’s not compensating, and you’re not getting injuries.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“A lot of young women play soccer, and it’s wonderful to give them something to aspire to.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“That’s one of the best parts of my job. I love interacting with the community, getting out there and getting to know people and making bonds with the community.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“The toughest part of my career was at the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics and wanting so much to play and physically contribute – but having to understand and realize that it’s just not my time.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“At the Olympics, I’m representing the United States as well as the town and people who helped shape me.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“St. Louis has a super-rich history of soccer, so I was very fortunate growing up to have coaches that played.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Soccer is always changing and evolving, and I think our national team has had to change with the times.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“U.S. Soccer has no justification for paying us as little as they do.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“It’s really indescribable. All the hard work you put in and all the sacrifices.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“In soccer, female athletes across the world wear shoes that are not meant for us, our feet, or our game.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“With soccer, it’s such a dynamic sport. It’s important that however you play, you should be training like that.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I think a lot of where I find my confidence is knowing I’ve prepared as well as I could have.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be an Olympian.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’m impassioned about injury prevention as an athlete.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“It’s lucky I haven’t been in a bad tackle. I could be prepared, but if my body gets wrenched in the wrong way, I can’t help that.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Anything you train can be improved upon. If you do it over and over again, your body is going to remember these moves and not be surprised in the game.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I wasn’t shuffling from one sport to the next that much. I had downtime to just be a high school student.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“We joke that St. Louis people love their own.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“It’s a rare treat to be able to play in front of friends and family.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Anytime that you’re getting games in, you’re going to get better.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“It’s almost ludicrous that I’m playing a game and getting paid for it. I’m just going to ride it as long as I can.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“As a defender, how much ground I cover isn’t up to me. I’m defending against a forward, so her movement determines my movement.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I think everyone, including myself, was pretty surprised the first Freedom goal came from me. So when I think about that goal, all I can really do is laugh at the incredibility of it.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Defending is mostly about focus.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“A lot of goals are scored when defenders lose their concentration for a split second and a forward makes a run in behind or gets that one extra step that leads to a shot.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Defenders must be careful yet decisive when taking action.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I know that I’m not the fastest or the strongest or the best in the air, so from a very early age, I had to be positionally sound, or I was going to get beat. So you just kind of learn as you grow.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“When I started with the national team, it was made very clear I was going to be the backup to Christie Rampone and Rachel Buehler. So for the first few years, it was just me training my heart out and pushing those centerbacks to be the best they could be.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Although offensive play is important, it’s defending that gets you titles.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“If they don’t score, we can’t lose.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“There’s no justification to not be paid the same as the men. We do everything the men do.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“When I’m on the field, I don’t want to be worrying about my cleats. I want them to enhance my playing style.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“A lot of sport is being comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“We put in the same amount of time, effort, and we do the same amount of work requirements. We feel like that should be equal, and we should get the same amount of money as the men.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“We like to be kind of at the forefront for how all football federations should treat their female athletes.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I kind of had to convince myself when I was playing for the Washington Freedom that this was the highest level that I’m going to reach. ‘I’m going to be a professional player, and I’m going to try and be the best one I can be, but it’s maybe just not in my cards to be an international player. I won’t play in a World Cup.’ That was hard for me.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“When you have somebody like Christie Rampone, with the vast experience she has had, you’re going to defer to her line because she has played in so many huge games, and she knows what she’s talking about.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Defenders don’t really get any sort of notoriety or anything like that.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I always wanted to write a book. Not a romance novel. Maybe a crime thriller. Something with action. Maybe that will happen some day.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“I’m a pessimist.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
“Winning the World Cup is definitely the highlight of my career. I thought the gold medal at the Olympics would peak it, but winning the World Cup, the reception… it’s what we all dreamed of when we were little.”
― Becky Sauerbrunn
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