Bastian Schweinsteiger Quotes

When people say 'American soccer,' they think of the U.S. national team. But American soccer also includes Major League Soccer, and until we have a league that produces players at the rate other leagues around the world do, I don't believe we'll ever get to where we want to be.

I think it's important to make clear, you know, that the problem with American soccer... it isn't talent.

My wish is that soccer in the U.S. become on the same level like the Premier League, Spanish league, or the Bundesliga.

It's been a big flaw of ours in the soccer department that a lot of our best athletes go and play other sports. But I think young players have seen me, and others, go over to Europe and play in some of the best leagues - and MLS is improving so much, too.

I think where we're still a little bit behind some other countries is just our pure soccer knowledge and our savvy on the field. That takes time and generations that have watched soccer growing up, played the game growing up.

Even all the top players going to Europe to play helps soccer in America, as do all the MLS players like Beckham and all that, they're trying to promote it. At the end of the day it's about getting the younger generation interested at an early age so most of them will move on and play.

The Premier League is probably the best in the world so if you have a lot of players who play well there, it's normal that they are going to grow as players.

I just want to play well, have the people in Chicago enjoy watching soccer. You have a very good baseball team, a very good ice hockey team, and a very good football team. Hopefully you'll have a very good soccer team.

Kids in Africa start kicking a ball when they are six or seven years old, if not younger. It's like baseball, basketball and football in America. If you're talented, people will find you. That's what happened with soccer. The number of academies has grown rapidly, and people are really into it.

When you talk about Brazil, we're always going to have high-level players trying to find a place to play.

St. Louis has a super-rich history of soccer, so I was very fortunate growing up to have coaches that played.

I don't know how you get in the England squad without getting in the Arsenal team.

I think what we really want to do is to create a real soccer nation. We want to have kids really wanting to play the sport.

I've definitely seen a lot of good players since I've came to Australia and I've definitely seen a lot of players that could easily play in the Championship in England.

All three of my kids play soccer. Each one of them started from the time they were about 5 or 6, and we just love it.

I am excited to bring my deep knowledge, passion and expertise of soccer in this country to The New York Cosmos. They truly represent where this sport is headed on a national and international level, and I want to make history with them.

The more people who come from abroad who played soccer and are brought up playing it and watching it, then come over to America and bring what they know and what they play, that's how the sport will grow.

I had some very good players and some wonderful young players hitting the scene. Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Michael Owen - we had something tangible to work with and move forward.

I think - I hope - that we're going to be able to build something here with U.S. Soccer, where it's not just going to be about one lost match or one lost cycle or one lost team. It's going to be about an entire country rallying around an entire sport in a way that lasts.

I played street soccer; that's where I started. If you look at South America, that's why they have technical players.

Let's build women's football from the bottom before we get to the top; it's not about building from the top to get to the bottom. We can talk about the Etihad and Man United's ground, the Theatre of Dreams, in a few years' time. Let's fill the Academy Stadiums, the Kingsmeadows, first of all.

I was playing first-team football at Cardiff at 16.

Neymar is a phenomenon. He adapted to European football very quickly.

Germany is where I had to become a true professional. They play in big games when they are young. We could model some of our soccer system after what they do.

I believe my chances of making the World Cup squad will improve if I join City. My exposure would be better because Brazil is biased towards the Ukrainian league.