Lauren Holiday is no stranger to the standards set by the U.S. women's national team.
The former versatile midfielder won the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup with the Gals in which she made six appearances and recorded a goal. She was also a key member of the teams that took home gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Simply put, Holiday was a winner during her time on the field.
Despite retiring at just 27 years old after winning the 2015 World Cup to start a family and dedicate her time to causes she cared about, Holiday embodied the culture established by the USWNT as it seeks a fifth star during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Because of her experiences, Holiday knows exactly the high-pressure environment the current USWNT squad is navigating with a historic three-peat in play.
“It’s not just expected to win for like major tournaments, you’re expected to win in every aspect," Holiday said in a bonus episode of NBC and Telemundo's "My New Favorite Futbolista" podcast. "Like any friendly that we play, anything that we do, we’re expected to be the best. And that’s like a culture that’s been instilled from the beginning, from all the veterans.
“So I think when the girls, they’re competing in the World Cup … that’s no different than everyday training and I think that’s what separates us.”
But pressure for Holiday wasn't really a thing. She's a competitor and wants to win -- even when going up against her family in household games, which includes husband Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks and their two children, Jrue Tyler and Hendrix.
“I love to win," Holiday said. "I can’t even let my kids beat me at cards, my husband especially not. I think for me that wasn’t extra pressure, that was an expectation for myself.”
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A UCLA product who won the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year award in 2007 in her second year of college, Holiday, now 35, has been out of the game for a while. She's nearing eight years, to be exact, after her post-2015 World Cup retirement shocked the USWNT and soccer spectrum.
On her days away from the everyday life of a professional footballer, one aspect of her former life she misses is engaging with her teammates on a steady basis. In fact, Holiday finds this common part of adult life challenging: making friends.
“What I miss most is the community," she said. "I used to always say I have built-in friends and now I’m like a real adult. How do you make friends if they’re not your teammates, right? I’m still working on that.”
But reflecting on her playing days with the USWNT, Holiday, who was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2023, said she's proud of her role in getting the team to where it is today, especially with the impact the group has on women on and off the pitch.
“When I watch the team play now, I feel so much pride just to know I got to be a part of that," she said. "What they’re doing not only on the field but off the field is changing the game for women’s sports and women everywhere. To know that I was part of that legacy, to build to where we are today, I have a lot of pride in that.”
