I didn't have to step up into a leadership role, ... I just had to be there and help out where I could. But this year I had to be more of the man.

I used to focus more on scoring. Now I take a lot of pride and pleasure in helping someone else do well.

To imagine being in Germany having a home crowd is kind of silly, but we'll take it.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a new challenge.

The second-highest honor is playing for your country, and the highest honor is wearing the armband for your country. It shows that the players have confidence in me, and that feels good.

I've never asked a player if they would sign my shoe. I've certainly had players come up, even before the game has started, and say, "Hey, after the game, can we trade jerseys?" It's kind of like, "Well, let's get through the game first and we'll deal with that later."

I want to be a positive influence. I want to be someone who they want to call in and want here consistently, regardless of my role.