(Coach) Bruce Arena has said in numerous interviews that he's not going to call somebody up that doesn't play frequently, |
(Griffey) said when he was my age he was like my size. I'm trying to get on the diet he was on. |
A lot of players in Europe aren't as tall as the other guys, so they have to be stocky to physically compete. |
Before, I played with fear because there was a lot of pressure, and, being as young as I was, it got to me a little bit, ... Now I'm getting game-winning goals for D.C. (United) and assists and just playing very well. I'm (no longer) trying to impress anybody. I just do my thing. |
Bruce said he's going to be monitoring my every move. I've just got to work hard and keep improving and bring that to D.C. United. If I do that, Bruce is watching, and he might give me that last shot to go in and prove something. |
Christian has a free role to do whatever, ... I didn't have that before, but now, my teammates and my coaches allow me to have that role. So I should be able to do some of the same things as Christian did, which is movement off the ball and always being available for the ball at my feet and running at people. I might be able to do it with a little more speed. |
Coach Bruce Arena said he's going to be monitoring my every move. |
didn't want me that deep. He said he needed me up top to get some offense. |
Freddy was sometimes too deep, sometimes too far away. It's our decision to make, and we decided to go this way. ... We pretty much beat ourselves. We were fine, we played fine and then one mistake, two mistakes, we're right out again. |
He is not playing for me. He is playing for the team and this organization. We’re not going to put anyone above the team. |
He knows me, so he'll probably know what I'm up to, but I've matured a lot since I went pro, |
Hey, I just had to push it a little bit. You go down, and it could go for you or it could go against you. It's one of those things where you put the referee in a tough position. |
I can't wait to get on the field and start playing, |
I feel the pressure, ... but I embrace it. Whatever I have to do to make the sport catch on to other people, I'll do it. |
I felt it right away when it happened, ... They told me to try and run it off to see if it feels better, but I couldn't -- no acceleration whatsoever and I really couldn't cut. |