Avery Patterson on USWNT vs Spain, Road to the World Cup & Houston's NWSL Playoff Push

Houston Dash wingback and rising USWNT star Avery Patterson sits down to discuss the USWNT's upcoming fixtures (+ the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil), her long-term future in Houston and orchestrating the tactical rebuild of the Dash in the NWSL.

Avery Patterson joins the podcast to share insider insights on her contract extension through 2028, taking her game to the next level, the Dash's high-stakes playoff race, and becoming a part of the team's climb to the pinnacle of women's soccer. She shares what it meant to enter the sport as a young girl watching the national team from the stands, tracing her journey back to her earliest soccer memories filled with family chaos, food-based performance incentives, and a ball at her feet. She shares how she learned to navigate pressure at UNC and the retrospective advice she would give to her younger self.

Avery shares why the Houston Dash project was the perfect step for her current career phase, the exact mindset required to serve as a designated squad centerpiece after the front office made a massive statement of belief in her leadership, and the profound pieces of coaching advice that altered how she views the game, including why pressure is a privilege and why failing at the highest level is an honor. She walks us through her chaotic first national team camp, detailing what was going through her head while stuck in an elevator for an hour and a half with Becky Sauerbrunn and Alana Cook, and later dealing with a black eye that medical staff feared would require emergency surgery.

Avery also talks about her evolution as a player, reflecting on her initial transition to the pros before unlocking her potential as an active playmaker, where she has been in spectacular personal form logging crucial back-to-back assists against North Carolina and Chicago.

Lastly, she shares what excites her about upcoming fixtures against reigning World Champions Spain, what it will take for the squad to achieve its goals while establishing the standard that their ceiling should be their floor, her short and long term goals for her personal soccer vision board of trophies, family, and travel, and so much more!

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