What I've always valued is people.
— Jill Ellis
I always want to know about things.
I think every time I'm with the team, even in a World Cup, as a coach, you're constantly evaluating.
Part of what's important for me is for our players to play on the road.
Players don't change drastically. Maybe they get more in form if they're a goal scorer, or they get healthier if they've been injured.
You've got to make sure you're listening to the people that are important to listen to. And then everything else, you kind of have to tune out and do your thing.
From my perception, listen: the game is different on turf, but it's the same for everybody.
What soccer and coaching gave me was sort of a stage.
When I first took over the team in 2014, the message was, even if you're on the right track, if you sit there, you'll get run over.
I don't have to talk about critics - I don't care.
Why have a rule if you're not going to enforce it?
There's always things you can refine and polish.
Ultimately, we've got to make sure our players understand that the margin for error is very small against these top teams in the world, and we've been punished several times for that.
You have to pay the same amount of detail regardless of opponent when so much is on the line.
The players come out and want to be as fresh as they can, press, keep a team in their end, create chances, create set pieces, and really try and get the upper hand early.
We've got to make sure we have players that can break teams down because there's no space in behind; we need to problem-solve in a different way.
If we're about winning world championships, we can't just have all of our focus be on the Olympics.
If you ask my dad, I'm always the person that found the little bird out of the nest and is trying to put it back or take care of it.
It's fascinating to me how they build bridges or tunnels.
It's easy for a player to stand out in two or three days. But the grind of a camp, and just the level of consistency in performance that requires, that needs to happen.
Ultimately, if you can have a very cohesive and tight unit, it obviously will pay dividends down the line.
If we're looking at the pure development of our game, the challenge is not to have a 200-cap player because that means there is something better that is coming along.
These countries - Spain, France, Germany - have environments that are really geared toward the professional player.
My dad has a certain spirit, a twinkle in his eye, someone who can set a certain standard for players but also convey it with humor. What I learned from him is that coaching is, more than anything, about connecting with people.
Many people say, 'Your dad was so ahead of his time,' and he was a feminist in the truest sense, but he's very much for opportunities for all people... To him, a soccer player is a soccer player.
Player X might be the best outside back, but does that player help the best wide player be as good?
We need people in the game to be honest, to call things as they are.
If someone's off their line, they're off their line.
It's part of the beauty of the job in dealing with this is you have to have a plan, and that's why you can't only train 11 players; you train your whole team.
I think that's how it has to be in a tournament format. You can't dwell on games.
When you go through a tournament of seven games, there are peaks and valleys. You kind of ride the players that are hot.
Our intent is to attack for 90 minutes.
Something you look at when you go into a World Cup is your depth and your players that change the game.
I am a sensitive person.
I think I'm just a naturally curious person.
Little things that I've emphasized are turning in pockets and looking to penetrate and finding these spaces and playing at a good tempo when we're in the middle third.
The players do their thing on the pitch, and there's a lot of young women or former players that want to coach.
When I used to recruit in college, my sole job was to out-recruit what I had. And if I did that, I knew we would grow and be successful.
We have to get to a point in this country where our top players are seeking out the most challenging environments.
If I walk into a room, I'm quite content to sit in the corner and chat with people who walk by. But coaching forced me to come out of my shell.
Any player playing at a high level is available for consideration to the women's national team.
I can truly say this: I don't care, and I've never really read what people thought.
A rule is a rule.
To be respectful to opponents is to play hard against them.
Many, many years ago, when you named alternates, and they wouldn't travel with you - I think you're dealing with a small roster. Now you travel with these alternates, which you can replace at any time, obviously, if it's a medical situation, so you have it in your back pocket.
You can do a lot of breakdown on games you played, but the takeaways from games you've played has to be on what's in front of you.
I have a tremendous staff around me. It's a really good family vibe in terms of our environment.
When you go to a World Cup, in midfield you need to have players who can score from distance, who can get in the box and obviously play-make.
My own personal opinion is putting three finals in one day isn't supporting the women's game.
