Before going pro, Kristen Edmonds played D-1 soccer at Rutgers University, the same program that produced Carli Lloyd.

Following in Lloyd’s footsteps would have been difficult for some, but as a freshman, Edmonds, like Lloyd, led the team scoring. Edmonds is a rare breed of athlete, one whose path to the pros was paved clear by her versatile play and her ability to excel on both ends of the pitch. Unfortunately, towards the beginning of her professional career, she seriously injured her ankle, and her doctors weren’t convinced she’d ever play again. While rehabbing, she got a job at Planet Fitness, exercising before and after every shift with the singular goal of getting back out on the field. Now, she plays alongside Alex Morgan on the Orlando Pride.

In 2016, Edmonds won her team’s golden boot award. This accolade, combined with her stellar play all season, caught the attention of the United States Women’s National team, who called her up to camp for the first time that year. Hers is a story of perseverance, of never giving up even when she was ready to quit. Her career may not have followed a perfectly straight trajectory, but Edmonds has never let this affect her game, always performing to a high standard no matter where her coach places her on the field. Now with her injury well behind her, she’s focused on one thing: winning the NWSL championship. We decided to call her up on one of her few off days and talk strombolis, equal pay, and of course, soccer in this Popdust extended Interview.

I know you went to Rutgers. Are you a big fan of Stuff Yer Face?

I love Stuff Yer Face.

Okay, now here’s a tough one. What’s your stromboli of choice?

Honestly, mine’s so simple because I don’t like cheese. I just get tomato sauce. I know it’s boring, but I do love Stuff Yer Face.

That’s pretty weak honestly, but I’ll take it. So, pretty much immediately after Carli Lloyd was the girl at Rutgers, you became the girl. Was following in her footsteps kind of daunting?

Not really. Obviously, I knew who she was. Now, I’m friends with Carli, being able to play with her when I was with the [Western New York] Flash and seeing her at the National Team camp. But, I didn’t feel like I had to follow in her footsteps. I was there to make a name for myself.

You mentioned the U.S. National Team. I know you were called up back in 2016, can you walk me through that day?

The team manager called me. They were on the west coast and I’m on the east coast, so, because of the time change, I was sleeping [when they called me]. I woke up to a message, and I thought it was a prank call. I had no idea. I immediately called my agent and was like, ‘wWhat do I do? Is this real?’ He was like, ‘Yes it’s real, call them back.’ So, I called them back and they said, ‘Hey we’re going to bring you into camp.’ I didn’t say anything because I was in shock. Once I got off the phone with them, I got really emotional right off the bat. I ran outside [my parents’ house] and told my dad. I called my mom and told her. I was extremely excited and motivated.

What’s it like when you get there? Is it a whole different level?

Honestly, it is. Obviously playing with and against the girls I do now, I knew I had to go in and be at my best. It’s extremely intimidating to go into that environment. A bunch of the girls have been there for so long, and you’re the newbie trying to come in and essentially take somebody’s spot. The first day, my head was spinning, but after that, I got my feet grounded a little bit and I was just there to play and have fun. I play the game because I love it. I made sure I enjoyed the moment.

You score a lot for a defender. I feel like no defenders score in soccer. That’s not a thing. How do you get yourself in those situations?

I think most of my goals are when I’m in the midfield or up top, but whenever I’m on the field I feel like I have the opportunity to score and that I will score a goal. That’s kind of my mindset. Hopefully, there are more goals for me this season even though I’m playing in the back more. I’m happy whenever I get to step onto the field. Putting one in the back of the net is just the icing on top of the cake.

Since you guys are a relatively new team, who would you say your big rivals are? Is there any team where you feel like, ‘Oh man, we better gear up for these guys?’

When we go play teams, we try to focus on us because we want people to say, ‘Oh we’re gearing up to play Orlando.’ I would say our biggest competition is [North] Carolina. While they’re a newer team, they moved from West New York and are a little more established than we are.

You played in Iceland and Russia as well. How does the U.S. competition compare?

In Russia and Iceland, from the top team to the bottom team there’s a big dropoff. But, in the U.S., team one can play team nine and it’s still going to be a competitive close game, and on any given day, both those teams can win. I think the NWSL as a whole is the most competitive league I’ve ever played in.

The men didn’t make the World Cup this year. The women’s team never seems to stop winning. Since the women are clearly playing better soccer, do you have any advice for the men?

I don’t know if I have any advice. Just as a fan of the sport you want to see your country in the World Cup. I’m still going to watch the World Cup, but I think our men have some growing to do. I think they’ll make the next one.

Who are you rooting for then?

I just wanna see some good competition. It’s once every four years. I’m just excited to watch some good soccer, to be honest. I don’t really have a favorite [team].

Here’s a question I’d like to get your opinion on. About a year and a half ago, Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo and all the big stars of the National Team filed a complaint about pay gap in soccer between men and women. What are your opinions on that? Is it something you’ve taken notice of as you’ve played?

I’m not a part of any association to [fight for] equal pay but in my opinion, we do the exact same job. I don’t see why the pay gap is so great. I can see that revenue-wise the women don’t bring in as much as the men, but the gap is so big. The women definitely deserve to be getting paid more than they do. Even if [our pay] isn’t exactly equal to the men’s, we should be able to make a living off of this sport.

I’m assuming since you play professionally, you make enough money to live off this sport. You’re not working a waitressing job on the side, right?

Actually, I do not make a living off of this. I have to work in the offseason. I also do a little bit on the side in season as well. The pay gap is definitely very big and it needs to change.

That’s terrible. I’m sorry to hear that.

I’ve been playing [soccer] for so long. I play it because I love it and because it’s my passion, not because of how much money I make. Do I think that we should be getting paid more? Absolutely. But, I love the sport so much that I’m sacrificing these few years that I get to play. I’ll worry about my financials after I’m done paying. I can’t walk away from it now.

So you’re still in your prime and still have a long career ahead of you, but eventually being an athlete ends. Do you want to coach when you’re done? What’s next?

I think when I hang em up, I will hang em up completely. I do not want to coach. Right now I do train a couple kids, but I think I’ll miss it too much to coach in the future. I love animals and I’m also interested in law enforcement. If I can mix the two and become a canine cop, that’d be ideal. If not, maybe go into one field or the other somehow. I still got a little bit of time.

Given that you severely injured your ankle and managed to continue your soccer career, what kind of advice do you have for injured athletes? Doctors can be so fatalistic with their assessment of injuries. How do you build up the confidence to tell the doctors that they’re wrong?

I was very fortunate that my doctor wanted to get me back on the field. I think after I got my cast off and started walking that day, he realized how serious I was. For any major injury, it can be very very tough to get over that hump and say, ‘I have to take the time to let my body recover.’ It takes a lot of time and there are days where you don’t want to do it anymore. You can think of a million excuses, but the end game is so much sweeter considering you overcame all those obstacles to get back.

Matt Clibanoff is a writer and editor based in New York City who covers music, politics, sports and pop culture. His editorial work can be found in Inked Magazine, Popdust, The Liberty Project, and All Things Go. His fiction has been published in Forth Magazine. — Find Matt at his website and on Twitter: @mattclibanoff

POP⚡DUST | Read More…

THE OPTION | The Last Giant

THE OPTION | The Stafford Effect

THE OPTION | Catalan Independence and What It Means for Barcelona Soccer