Q: Being such an accomplished veteran player (in both pro soccer and college soccer) over the last 15+ years, what can you say about this time in women’s soccer?

A: This time in women’s soccer is really interesting. There is so much investment being made into women’s sports at this moment. For most of my life and career women’s sports was seen as a charity or some kind of benevolence. Even in college sports where the investment was legally required to be equal, there was this idea that women were playing as a means to a different end than the men were. And I think it’s cool that that is changing.

Being a female athlete at a professional level is not only possible - which it has been for a while - but lucrative and desirable. Investors now see a real benefit and a real return on investing in women. I have seen this change first-hand over the course of my professional career - in particular over the past 5 years. I’m excited to see where things could be in another 5 years.

Q: Are there particular players and leagues in women’s sports that you are excited about watching that others should be too?

A: I’m a soccer junkie. I watch NWSL games, USL Super League Games, WSL games etc… I love that almost every day there is a women’s soccer game readily available on major streaming platforms.

One of the cool things about playing as long as I have is watching some of my young teammates embark on their careers, move to new countries and grow into incredible players and people. As much as I love seeing players succeed, I love just watching their stories unfold especially when there is a genuine love for the game itself.

I’m particularly excited to watch the new Canadian league this year. There are so many great players making the move there, as well as female coaches, owners and GMs involved. From what I’ve seen the teams seem to have made an effort to do things the right way, and bring in the right kinds of people. A few years ago in Norway, I played with Nikki Stanton (who is playing for Vancouver Rise) and she is still one of my favorite human beings. I can’t wait to watch her crush it on the field and I know she will bring a high level of professionalism, experience, kindness and humor to her team and the league.