Brandi Chastain is an American soccer player who has twice won the FIFA Women’s World Cup and twice won Olympic gold medals.
Throughout her career, Brandi Chastain has also worked as a coach and a sports broadcaster. From 1988 to 2004, she was a fierce competitor for the United States national team.
In addition, in 192 caps as a defender and midfielder, she has consistently scored 30 goals. Shiroki FC of the Japan Women’s Football League, FC Gold Pride of Women’s Professional Soccer, the San Jose CyberRays of the Women’s United Soccer Association, and the California Storm of the Women’s Premier Soccer League are among her professional affiliations. Her path to the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame began in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Here are some of her inspiring quotes.
“I played mostly games like Asteroids and Pac-Man. Today, when I go into an arcade, the games are much more difficult and complex. I don’t think I could even play some of the video games that are out there today.”― Brandi
“I went to professional men’s soccer games, the old North American soccer league at that time, and I used to be a ticket holder with my family and family friends. We would go every weekend and I thought it was great, but I just thought of it as recreation, as family fun.”― Brandi
“Julie, Mia and I just met for a couple days, doing some work but really under the guise of having fun. We do events like the Women’s Sports Foundation Dinner, where we get to not only do a good thing for the community but we get to hang out with one another again.”― Brandi
“You have to be willing to accept the information, you have to be willing to work hard. You have to be motivated to go to practice with an open mind. You have to be willing to be criticized. Only you can do those things.”― Brandi
“The thing I can say about Japan is they were progressive for a country that is very male dominant.”― Brandi
“To be honest with you, I never looked at soccer as a sacrifice.”― Brandi Chastain
“We are shaping young kids to be leaders in their communities and also to be healthier.”― Brandi Chastain
“Well there are two things: Number one is, make sure you always enjoy yourself, because when you enjoy yourself, you’ll learn, you’ll want more information, you’ll push yourself.”― Brandi Chastain
“My parents and my grandfather on my mom’s side would travel the earth. They went to Australia and China, and they went to probably every soccer game I ever played.”― Brandi Chastain
“Number one, it was a chance to thank my parents, because they passed away a couple of years ago. They gave me so much by giving me the opportunity to play soccer, and I wanted to share the story we had together.”― Brandi Chastain
“So along with that is spending a lot of time with the ball. For me it was, I loved to juggle the ball in my front yard, and I always challenged myself – how many juggles can I get today? I think for players to get better, it’s just about spending the time.”― Brandi
“So I’m still doing my best to stay in shape and hope that opportunity will come back to me.”― Brandi
“I think soccer is more respected now than it ever has been. You can see that in the numbers of young kids who are playing and the numbers of people who are coming to watch.”― Brandi
“I think there are a lot of things that soccer does in the communities that transcend the soccer field.”― Brandi
“I was a part of Backyard Soccer, and I hear that I score a lot of goals in it.”― Brandi
“I was the kid who always liked to take the ball down to the school even in my free time, kick it against the wall, juggle it in the front yard and so it was kind of a perpetual state of playing soccer for me.”― Brandi Chastain
“After the ’96 Olympics, we all started believing that this is bigger than we thought, and we were willing to do the work. We knew that it was up to us, the players, to make soccer successful.”― Brandi Chastain
“And to learn, you have to be willing to push yourself.”― Brandi Chastain
“I have a 16 year-old son, so I’m now a soccer mom. I stand on the sidelines and I hear the things parents are saying, so I want them to understand what it is their kids are feeling in any sports environment.”― Brandi Chastain
“I think I’d like to be able to heal people’s pain, whether it is hunger, loneliness or whatever.”― Brandi Chastain
“You’ll be dedicated and that’s what you should want to be in anything in life – whether it’s sports or academics or your relationship. It all stems from finding that fun, that thrill, that excitement.”― Brandi Chastain
“And then ultimately what I tell the kids is: coaches can give you information, they can give you guidelines, and they can put you in a position. But the only person who can truly make you better is you.”― Brandi Chastain
“And I remember how proud I was to put on my training jersey and go out on the field. Making it back to that environment was for me my greatest moment, because somebody had told me I couldn’t do it and I never gave up on myself, the game and my teammates.”― Brandi Chastain
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