When you're playing against a European side, you want to show that we can play too. You want to prove MLS is a good league when you're playing against those teams.
I grew up watching Arsenal. You don't think you're going to get to play with Thierry Henry. Him breaking my dad's record and now he assists half my goals, it's weird. How'd that happen?
I just try to keep my game simple and just get chances. I try to stay on the defender's shoulder, run behind because they don't like it and when I get an opportunity, I shoot. If it goes in one day, it goes in. If it doesn't another day, it doesn't.
The MLS Cup is always the goal. If we don't win that, it's always a disappointment and we haven't won. No matter how well you do in the regular season, it's always seen as a failure.
When people say I don't get recognition, it doesn't matter. If I'm scoring, what does it mean? If I'm still playing well and I'm still helping my team, I don't care who thinks I'm amazing or who doesn't.
I would stay up till 3 A.M. playing Xbox or Playstation, go training at 8:30 A.M., go home and sleep and wake up at a crazy time like 7 P.M. and eat something ridiculous like a pizza and then get back on my computer. I was not living right and I wondered why I was not starting games.