The first World Cup I can remember was the 2010 tournament in South Africa. I was 7 years old, and I remember seeing some amazing goals and that the atmosphere was wild. That's when I first realized the World Cup was a big deal.
As I got older it started becoming bigger and bigger for me; I could actually watch the matches and remember them. One that stands out was in the World Cup 2018 when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free kick against Spain to draw their group stage game. He hadn't scored from a free kick for Portugal in a long time, but in that big moment, he did.
Playing for the U.S. Team
In 2020, I was deciding whether to play for the U.S. national team or England, where I lived from the age of 9 on. I chose the U.S. because I was born there, and it's a great country to be part of. At the time, when U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (USMNT) coach Gregg Berhalter was speaking to me, the plan was to try to qualify for, and get back to, the World Cup.
During the World Cup 2022 qualifiers, it was on my mind that the team hadn't made it in 2018. You're aware that if you don't qualify, you'll have to wait another four years.
As we are such a young squad, it could have played out that people criticized us if we hadn't made it. So, we had to show everyone that we could do it. That meant the relief after qualifying in March was crazy. I felt a weight off my shoulders; it was definitely a great moment. Then, you have to wait for the World Cup.
Wales was actually the first team I played against with the U.S. national team, so it's a coincidence that we're facing them in the first group stage game of the 2022 World Cup. I used to watch Aaron Ramsey when I was at the academy at Arsenal and to be able to play against him now will be great.
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