Quotes from Christen Press

No hidden talents, but I have a lot of hobbies. Acrylic painting - I got a whole set, and I light candles at night and sit there and paint and look out on Lake Michigan.

My mom is just authentically herself all the time. She loves herself. She loves her sense of humor. She brings people in when she talks. She brings people in when she laughs. Watching her, I think that that's when I first learned and was encouraged to be myself and to sort of love and live in that way.

I have learned that there's a little bit of a danger in stressing ourselves out and living in the future - worry affects how we are today.

I'm the kind of person where I look to myself a lot on how I can get better. What little, nuanced differences can I make?

I used to be so focused on winning, I had a really hard time enjoying soccer. If I missed a shot, I would spend a lot of time thinking about how I'd disappointed my teammates. Then I learned how moments of struggle make you stronger.

I'm 100 percent a byproduct of my sport. I always tell my teammates that I only have muscles where they get to play.

As a goal scorer, my focus is always on converting my chances and being clinical in the box. That's my No. 1 priority.

The European leagues have been there a long time, the coaches have been there, the clubs have been there, there's history to the teams. There's already that football support culture.

I remember playing games and having tears roll down my face because it felt like it was never going to be good enough.

As a professional athlete, part of my job is to make sure I'm consuming high quality nutrients.

My family is a little ridiculous. They're wild - really colorful and animated and big personalities.

It took me a while to learn, but we are allowed to make mistakes and have flaws.

When I was able to better live in the moment that I was in, I think that it really freed me.

Serena Williams is my sports idol.

If you win games, at the top, there's no pressure to change. You change when you have to change. You change when you don't win anymore.

I would like to fight as hard as I possibly can in each and every game and win or lose, leave it at that, and move forward. I know in my heart that that is the mindset I need to be a successful and happy athlete.

My restlessness leaves my mind racing as I try to wind down at the end of mandatory recovery day. It keeps me tossing after poor performances. And if I played well, well... playing well makes me itch to play better; there is always room for improvement.

The hardest thing to do is to fail and keep pushing at the same time.

I always want to take on the giants.

I find the ball, and I think, 'Where's the ball going, and where do I need to go?' It just puts me back in the game, and it's the simplest thing, but it's become sort of like my soccer mantra. I simply use the ball as my focus point and move back into position, and the distracting thoughts disappear, and I'm right back in the game.

I've learned to love my body and myself over time by being a little more accepting and having grace with myself.

There's a lot that's out of your control. But the one thing that you can control is your work ethic.

When I'm home, I like to plan out all of my workout routines and all of my eating for the whole week.

If I put my pinkie to my thumb, I can cover my wrist all the way to the knuckle. When I get a watch, I always have to go and get extra holes put in or get a special bracelet that's adjustable.