Quotes from Megan Rapinoe

Some guy in Germany has my face tattooed on the back of his calf. That was wild. It was a decent tattoo job, but that's kind of weird for me.

Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.

Our team, in general, is in a position where people look up to us, and kids look up to us. I embrace that, and I think I have a huge LGBT following. I think it's pretty cool, the opportunity that I have, especially in sports. There's really not that many out athletes. It's important to be out and to live my life that way.

We're gracious and we're humble, and we play the game a certain way, whether we win or lose.

I think I have unique qualities that other people don't have that can contribute to the team.

As I got more into gay rights, I got more into equal pay, and you just see that it's all connected. You can't really speak out on one thing and not another without it not being the full picture.

Honestly, I feel like we are a walking protest. The fact that we're women professional athletes says that in and of itself. We've been feeling the inequality; we've been struggling with pay equality or whatever it is, or sexism in sports.

We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.

I think we need to keep our faces out there and to keep our game out there and keep it growing.

For us, the conversation is always about getting paid what we feel like we're worth and getting paid as the sport grows and as we help grow the sport.

It's frustrating sometimes: as an athlete, you're thrust into the spotlight, and you know, I think this team has always done a really amazing job of understanding that we have this incredible platform; let's do something good with it.

For the record, I am gay.

Just emotionally, as amazing as it is to win the World Cup, it's emotionally draining in many ways.

I've always been a risk taker. Growing up, I had a lot of freedom and room to roam and do what I wanted, and I think that's a huge part of my game.

Over the years, I have really figured out what works for me. It's not about what anyone else is doing. I can't worry about whether I am doing everything that another player is doing, which can be hard sometimes. I have to trust my training and know my body and figure out what will get the best out of me.

Putting yourself out there is hard, but it's so worth it. I don't think anyone who has ever spoken out, or stood up or had a brave moment, has regretted it. It's empowering and confidence-building and inspiring. Not only to other people, but to yourself.

I'm totally obsessed with Tilda Swinton. She has this strange, beautiful sexiness about her. I love everything she does. And I love her hair. It was a little bit of an inspiration for mine.

Obviously to be on this team, to be able to represent my country and have the platform that I do, I'm incredibly grateful for it.

Being female and an advocate for equal opportunities, I want to see an equal representation in people applying for the head coach job for the women's team.

The more I've been able to learn about gay rights and equal pay and gender equity and racial inequality, the more that it all intersects. You can't really pick it apart. It's all intertwined.

The one-v-ones and stuff, that's a special skill in and of itself. That's the sizzle. Fans love that.

I think the national team is more like a traveling circus. It's hard to get that translation into the NWSL teams.

We need a more substantive conversation around race relations and the way people of color are treated.

I think, bottom line, I have to be good enough to make the team. I have to bring something in and beat somebody else out, especially with a smaller roster for the Olympics.