AUTHORS NOTE: Just to let you know in advance most of these videos require you to go on YouTube itself to watch for some reason :'(
"Let's start," Carli is already typing on the YouTube search bar, " with your debut."
I frown. "When was that?"
Carli briefly thinks back, before telling me, "July , 2006. You were only 16. Coach Greg was very impressed with you."
I try to remember stuff. "Is Greg still the coach?"
Carli gives a sad shake of the head. "No...he left after our disasterclass in China."
I don't say anything, of course I don't remember our "disasterclass".
I decide to ask another question. "Can I ask something...real quick before you play the video?"
Carli nods, clearly happy to hear this. "What do you want to know?"
I ponder for a moment, question momentarily going out my head, before I remember.
"How many coaches have we had on the National team?"
Carli frowns. "Good question. I've had six...coaches? You've played under five."
With that, Carli clicks on the clip.
The "USWNT" ( I'm guessing is us) are against Mexico.
I remember looking on my Wikipedia page and seeing that I scored on my debut.
There's quite a crowd. It's already dark and I hear the commentator say this match will hopefully be preparation for China next summer which I now know is the World Cup.
The only player I recognise from both sides is Carli, who looks like one of the youngest players on the team.
One of the first highlights is the a tall blonde player from our side heading into the net.
I hear Carli hiss "Go Abby!" and it makes me smile how this seems to take her back to the good times.
Although not long after, a Mexican player goes on an impressive run, taking on several of our players before calmly slotting their ball past our goalkeeper.
"Mercado!" Carli groaned. She looks to me and informs, "She's still on the international team you know."
I look back at the screen to the celebrating teenager. Then I realise most of the players on the pitch are no longer playing.
Damn, the times have changed.
"Look," Carli nudges my arm, "it's your time to shine."
For a moment, I don't understand what she means, then I see someone holding a board with two numbers.
Number nine is in red and I see a player on our team with the number nine jogging off, high fiving and hugging the player with number eighteen, whose number is in green, and is coming on.
"You came on for HAO," Carli explains, "I don't think the crowd liked that at first. We really wanted to win the game."
Yet literally, seconds later in the video, I see Carli on the ball, weaving past several players. She then lays the ball to me and my initial thought is how baby faced I looked.
Teen me looked like a foetus compared to everyone else, lmao.
I take a touch, I'm right outside the box, I see teammates calling for a pass, yet I take a second touch, the ball now on the inside of my right foot before I curl the ball.
Everything goes in slow motion as it curls right into the top corner, the keeper appearing foolish to even attempt to claw it out.
As soon as I score, I see myself running towards the touch line, before running into someone's arms.
"You were close to Kristine Lilly," Carli quietly says, "she was like your mum on the team."
I give a quiet laugh, though I'm crying on the inside.
How did I forget all this?
The highlights end not long after and Carli turns to me.
"What did you think of that?" She wants to know.
I shrug, admitting, "That was pretty impressive of me."
Carli elbows me. "I mean everyone wanted you afterwards!"
Now Carli is typing something else up.
I see Olympic Final 2008 on the search bar.
A couple of things come up, but I see Carli click on the game against Brazil.
We're on the thumbnail, her arm wrapped firmly around my shoulder as I'm smiling at someone with Heath on their back.
The highlights seem a lot more intense, of course it is a final, rather than a friendly.
I'm surprised to see myself starting, although I didn't really have an effect, as I'm barley in the highlights.
The game goes to extra time, with the clip cutting to me, face shiny with sweat and strands of hair sticking to my forehead.
Flattering.
It doesn't take long after extra time for something to happen.
Carli's on the ball, again weaving around round defenders, none of whom can stop her.
I can see myself, again on the edge of the box.
The ball finds me again and this time I don't even take a first touch, arrowing the ball in the bottom right hand corner.
I don't celebrate as elaborately, however I jump into the arms of someone with Heath on her back who doesn't seem much older than me.
"Who's that?" I ask Carli.
I receive a sad look. "Tobin. You and her were very close on the team."
Ah...that's who I should've passed to
The game has ended, with us as victors, though the video isn't quite finished.
The final scene is our medals ceremony which shows me and Tobin mucking about.
She whispers something to me which I seem surprised by.
Before I know it, my teeth sink into the medal before I pull away, wincing and rubbing my teeth.
This has both Tobin and Carli in hysterics and I swat them both with the bouquet of flowers we were each given.
"Why did I do this?" I'm pretty surprised by how dumb my younger self was.
Wait. Maybe I was always this stupid.
Carli is holding back laughter.
"I don't know how...but Tobs managed to convince you that the medals were made from chocolate. Of course, it seems like you fell for it. However you did start the tradition of biting medals."
I turn around, frowning. "Seriously?"
Carli nods. "Yep."
Now she's wincing, typing up her next search, which I see is World Cup final 2011 .
I already know from the thumbnail, we're not victorious, it showing another team sprinting, delight on their faces.
"You did score though," Carli speaks up, "you were our best player til you went off."
"Why did I go off?" I wonder.
Carli grimaces. "You'll find out."
Nothing really happens, although the opposition appear very defensive.
Then a player called Alex Morgan comes on not long after halftime.
It's nearly been 70 minutes on the clock when Morgan gets the ball, speeding past several players, leading the counterattack.
There doesn't seem to be anyone ahead of her but she sends a through ball and I see myself, on the shoulder of the Japanese defence.
Again, with my first touch, I strike the ball, with my left foot.
Everything goes quickly as it goes through the keepers legs and into the net.
It then cuts to me jumping into Morgan's arms and not long after, we're joined by the rest of the team.
Then the Japanese turn up the pressure. No longer defensive, they're forcing us back into our own box and despite our best efforts and our goalie's saves ("Hope was keeping us in this!" Carli tells me), they equalise, the goal originating from messy mistakes as the ball bounces around the box like ping pong.
The next highlight shows the game hitting 90 minutes, injury time set to be added on.
The Japanese are on the ball, on a counterattack that was rare for them at this stage of the game, the commentator reminding us how great Homare Sawa has been.
She's effortless on the ball, graceful as she dribbles around half our team.
She's on the halfway line and I realise that there's not really anyone else left.
Then I came in, like a wrecking ball. Lunging with two feet, present me already knew the offence was a straight red before I even came into contact with the Japanese skipper.
Sawa crushes over, not really able to stop herself from losing composure.
I watch myself get up relatively quickly although Sawa needs treatment.
While she is receiving that, the referee goes into her back pocket, producing a red card and pointing to the dressing room.
I roll my eyes, before storming off. I see Abby and Carli going over to remonstrate with the referee while the commentator goes on about how I've let myself down, having been the U.S's only "beam of hope".
We watch the rest of the clip, we take the lead again in extra time, however Japan strike back, taking us to pens.
We miss all but one of ours, giving the Japan their maiden title.
"So..." Carli looks to me, "what do you think about that?"
I'm perplexed, still staring at the screen.
"Was I always like this? A hot head?"
Carli bobs her head back and forth before replying, "I mean...yeah you were. You definitely matured after becoming captain."
I choke on my spit.
"I...become captain?" I'm still pinching myself which amuses Carli.
"Yeah. Before the Olympics, which was funny because you ended up missing it by going on maternity leave."
"Was I missed?"
Something clouds over Carli's eyes. "Jill missed you a lot. We all did. Our performance was a mess, I'm not going to show you it though. It still hurts."
I nod, understanding her uncomfortableness.
Next, she types in 2012 Olympic Final USWNT VS Japan
"So," I arch an eyebrow, "is this revenge?"
Carli looks to me. "You bet."
My intake from the game is that we have a lot of missed chances. Particularly from Alex and Abby although their pressing is impressing me.
What impresses me more is me and Carli's connection.
We're passing circles around the Japanese, able to dribble out of sticky situations.
Our understanding shows, as I assist Carli both times, first putting in the cross that she gets her head on the end of and then assisting her second with a pass from across the pitch.
The final ends, the commentator telling everyone that we've managed to defend our medal.
The final scene shows the whole team deciding to impersonate me, taking a photo with them biting their medal.
The video ends and at first, I roll my eyes at Carli before she sticks up a hand and we high five.
Her next search is 2015 World Cup Final
I don't know what to expect but I see the thumbnail of us lifting the trophy so I relax my shoulders.
We're instantly off, scoring in the 3rd minute. It's Carli, getting her head to the ball off a corner, although this time it's Tobin delivering them set piece.
Just two minutes later, and Carli has scored again, off another set piece, this time a free kick.
Then it's my turn, the Japanese fail to clear the ball and it lands to me, where I volley it into the net.
Then two minutes later, Carli completes her hattrick, scoring from the HALFWAY LINE looping over the keeper. It's truly remarkable and the video cuts to me with my hands behind my head in disbelief as Carli runs to Hope in celebration.
The first consolation was scored by Yūki Ōgimi for Japan in the 27th minute.
They manage to double their goals when Julie Johnston headed into our net for an own goal in the 52nd minute.
We finish any hope the Japanese could have of changing the game as Tobin converts from a corner that I took, to make it 5-2 just two minutes later.
The game ends and it makes me smile to see our jubilant celebrations and us hoisting the trophy, ending a 16-year drought.
We look to each other when the clip ends.
"Four goals in sixteen minutes eh?" Carli smiles, "Pretty impressive?"
"That's a goal every four minutes on average." I calculate.
Carli whacks my head. "Alright Maths genie!"
She then turns to me before typing. "This is the last thing." She tells me and I watch her type 2019 World Cup final
Carli winces at what she's about to say next. "There's a lot of change...you're captain now obviously and...a lot of people have left."
Carli looks likes she's about to cry so I squeeze her arm and she respond with a teary, although grateful grin.
The clip starts with us in the tunnel and I'm surprised with how serious I look.
I'm even more surprised as I watch our team line up for the anthem, the amount of players I don't recognise. Though they seem pretty young.
We're up against the Netherlands, the reigning European Champions.
Watching the game, it seems obvious from the start that it's a battle between the two captains, me and Sari van Veenendaal, with all four of my shots being kept out by the Dutch goalkeeper.
We don't score before halftime, the first time we've failed to do that this tournament.
Then there's an altercation in the box. The Dutch defender, Stefanie van der Gragt, attempts for clear the ball, sticking her foot out.
However it whacks me in the groin and I go down, clearly in agony.
The referee seems to ignore it, before she rushes to the screen, the commentator telling us there's going to be a "VAR Review".
After a check, she gives a penalty, much to our relief.
I'm now up, about to take the penalty although I look nervous .
I pause the video. "What's wrong with me?" I ask Carli.
My teammate looks to the screen. "You had the chance to score your 100th goal for the USWNT."
"Did I?"
Carli plays the video. "Let's find out."
I see myself placing the ball down, so shaky that it's not even on the spot so I take a deep breath before placing it again.
Now I'm looking up, at the goalkeeper I can't seem to score against, I'm panting, looking down before looking up, before looking down, before looking up.
All of a sudden, the whistle blows and I see myself hesitate for a moment, before I strike.
The ball goes slowly, as I go down the middle, scoring.
The camera instantly cuts to me wheeling off, giving a massive jump before having Megan and Alex jump on my shoulders.
After I get mobbed, I rush to the substitute bench, where I embrace Carli.
I look to her. "Why were you on the bench?"
"I came on later." She brushes off.
Four minutes later and we get another chance.
An excellent interception ("Go Dunny!" Carli cheers), leads to a combination of passes before a player with Lavelle on her back dribbles around several players.
After exchanging a one-two with me, she shoots...and scores.
The player jumps into my arms before we get embraced again.
"Go Rose!" Carli yells and I can't help but laugh.
The game ends and I see myself receive several awards.
"Golden Boot because you scored the most goals with 8. Playmaker award for having the most assists with 10 and the Golden Ball because you were levels above anyone else." Carli explains.
...impressive
Then it's the trophy ceremony. I nearly forget it so eager to rejoin my teammates when the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino reminds me.
Eventually I bring it with me and we do a count before I lift the trophy, the confetti sprinkling down on us.
I'm still stuck. "Carli?" I say, getting her attention.
"So, what was I to the team?"
Carli doesn't hesitate.
"Ellie Hunter, you are an icon and we just saw your legacy."