--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the U.S. team went on its historic…" description: "\"When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002, I was thirteen years old. Each game in that run - the astonishing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg" --- # When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World… ![“When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002, I was thirteen years old. Each game in that run - the astonishing victory against Portugal, the resilient win over Mexico, even the gutsy but unlucky effort against the Germans - propelled me to push my other…” quote by Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg) > “When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002, I was thirteen years old. Each game in that run - the astonishing victory against Portugal, the resilient win over Mexico, even the gutsy but unlucky effort against the Germans - propelled me to push my other athletic interests aside and focus only on soccer.” [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker recalls a pivotal teenage moment when a national soccer success redirected his athletic focus solely to soccer. **In simple terms:** A teen was inspired by a team's success to choose soccer over other sports. Key Takeaway Follow your passion when it ignites. Themes inspiration identity choice Mood enthusiastic reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - high school sports decisions - college athletic scholarships - community coaching - personal motivation Key Concepts sports psychology role models career focus Questions to Reflect On - What moment sparked your lifelong passion? - How do you balance specialization with versatility? A Different Perspective The focus on one sport may limit broader skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Soccer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soccer/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World cup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-cup/) ## Related quotes > [I don't just want to focus on soccer, soccer, soccer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-solo/i-don-t-just-want-to-focus-on-soccer-soccer-soccer/) [Hope Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-solo/) > [Everybody was ready to put Denver and Indianapolis in the championship game. We're the same team that went 15-1 last year and made it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hines-ward/everybody-was-ready-to-put-denver-and-indianapolis-in-the/) [Hines Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hines-ward/) > [I don't just want to focus on soccer, soccer, soccer. You're going to look back 20 years from now and of course you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-solo/i-don-t-just-want-to-focus-on-soccer-soccer-soccer-you-re-going-to/) [Hope Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-solo/) > [I knew there was no money in track and field unless you were unbelievable. So I stopped it when I was 13. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-yedlin/i-knew-there-was-no-money-in-track-and-field-unless-you-were/) [DeAndre Yedlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-yedlin/) > [When I got to the NBA, that first Knicks group was pretty dysfunctional. But it was on me, too. I didn't understand the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-frye/when-i-got-to-the-nba-that-first-knicks-group-was-pretty/) [Channing Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-frye/) > [Sheamus and I did have a rivalry and then became a team, and we went from being work acquaintances to becoming best friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesaro/sheamus-and-i-did-have-a-rivalry-and-then-became-a-team-and-we-went/) [Cesaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesaro/) > [There is simply no better way to generate buzz for soccer in your country than having your team in the World Cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/there-is-simply-no-better-way-to-generate-buzz-for-soccer-in-your/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The beauty of the World Cup is that while thirty-two countries get to cheer for their respective teams, the event also affirms a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-beauty-of-the-world-cup-is-that-while-thirty-two-countries-get-to/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [It's my biggest dream as a soccer player: I always wanted to play in the World Cup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-pulisic/it-s-my-biggest-dream-as-a-soccer-player-i-always-wanted-to-play-in/) [Christian Pulisic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-pulisic/) > [The first World Cup I remember was in the 1950 when I was 9 or 10 years old. My father was a soccer player,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pel/the-first-world-cup-i-remember-was-in-the-1950-when-i-was-9-or-10/) [Pele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pel/) > [The only subject fewer authentic Americans cared about than the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo was World Cup Soccer. America is an epic global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-only-subject-fewer-authentic-americans-cared-about-than-the/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [I think we have to keep putting women's sports in the limelight. I thought the Women's World Cup did a wonderful job of showing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-sauerbrunn/i-think-we-have-to-keep-putting-women-s-sports-in-the-limelight-i/) [Becky Sauerbrunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-sauerbrunn/) > [The World Cup experience is more than just the game of soccer. It's an event. And it will fly by faster than you think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobi-jones/the-world-cup-experience-is-more-than-just-the-game-of-soccer-it-s-an/) [Cobi Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobi-jones/) > [The combination of an out-of-control tabloid press and a readership that thrills to the destruction of the England head coach is something no other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-barnes/the-combination-of-an-out-of-control-tabloid-press-and-a-readership/) [Simon Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-barnes/) > [“The smell of the sweat is not sweet, but the fruit of the sweat is very sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-smell-of-the-sweat-is-not-sweet-but-the-fruit-of-the-sweat-is/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Clint Smith > [Until affirmative action is described and understood as one mechanism by which to make amends for historical wrongdoing against members of marginalized communities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/until-affirmative-action-is-described-and-understood-as-one-mechanism/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If our principles are only our principles when it is convenient for us, when they align with our visceral emotional responses, then they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-our-principles-are-only-our-principles-when-it-is-convenient-for/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The U.S. prison system, over all, disproportionately affects black and brown people, but people of color are overrepresented to a greater degree in private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-u-s-prison-system-over-all-disproportionately-affects-black-and/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [America's economy cannot be disentangled from the free labor that built it, just as America's culture cannot be unbound from the black artists who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/america-s-economy-cannot-be-disentangled-from-the-free-labor-that/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [In sixth grade, my status as a Boy Scout was not something I went out of my way to share. In fact, I spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/in-sixth-grade-my-status-as-a-boy-scout-was-not-something-i-went-out/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The history of racial violence in our country is both omnipresent and unspoken. It is a smog that surrounds us that few will admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/the-history-of-racial-violence-in-our-country-is-both-omnipresent-and/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-carry-a-gun-people-will-call-you-paranoid-that-s-ridiculous-if/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [When the power of private prisons is diminished, so, too, is their ability to engage in back-door political lobbying that has an impact on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-power-of-private-prisons-is-diminished-so-too-is-their/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Systemic racism always takes a toll, whether it be by bullet or by blood clot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/systemic-racism-always-takes-a-toll-whether-it-be-by-bullet-or-by/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [One does not read a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks with hopes that it will grant him a career in engineering; he does so because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/one-does-not-read-a-poem-by-gwendolyn-brooks-with-hopes-that-it-will/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Education is a human right - a recognition of dignity that each person should be afforded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/education-is-a-human-right-a-recognition-of-dignity-that-each-person/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [Preparing oneself for the possibility of confronting racism triggers something that slowly chips away at physical and emotional well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/preparing-oneself-for-the-possibility-of-confronting-racism-triggers/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [In my home, guns were not something to be earned or celebrated. Water guns and Nerf guns were not allowed outside. B.B. guns were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/in-my-home-guns-were-not-something-to-be-earned-or-celebrated-water/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-re-not-shootin-you-should-be-loadin-if-you-re-not-loadin-you/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [If you only hear one side of the story, at some point, you have to question who the writer is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/if-you-only-hear-one-side-of-the-story-at-some-point-you-have-to/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) [Explore all 116 Clint Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) ## More Effort quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [ Bernie \[Ecclestone\] is the commercial rights holder so the more outgoing the champion is, the better. Of course. I also do think about our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/bernie-ecclestone-is-the-commercial-rights-holder-so-the-more/) [Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/) > [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is for the superfluous we sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-for-the-superfluous-we-sweat/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I love a pocket. I'm about helping women look as good as possible on the least amount of effort. I want versatility and comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-mccartney/i-love-a-pocket-i-m-about-helping-women-look-as-good-as-possible-on/) [Stella McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-mccartney/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [“Dreams will come true as long as you give some effort towards your goal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayana/dreams-will-come-true-as-long-as-you-give-some-effort-towards-your/) Dayana > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) [Browse all 8,602 Effort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002, I was thirteen years old. Each game in that run - the astonishing victory against Portugal, the resilient win over Mexico, even the gutsy but unlucky effort against the Germans - propelled me to push my other athletic interests aside and focus only on soccer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clint Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-run-to-the-world-cup-quarter/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Effort" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-run-to-the-world-cup-quarter/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37a/clint-smith-4108_effort_when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-r_1230983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the U.S. team went on its historic run to the World Cup quarter-finals in 2002, I was thirteen years…” — Clint Smith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Clint Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the U.S. team went on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-run-to-the-world-cup-quarter/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/when-the-u-s-team-went-on-its-historic-run-to-the-world-cup-quarter/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```