In an interview that started out like a motivational speech and quickly spiraled into a parade of contradictions, former U.S. Women’s National Team backup goalie Ashlyn Harris managed to simultaneously preach about “choosing to be exceptional” and admit to being a complete emotional mess. What followed was a wildly entertaining exercise in self-importance, inconsistency, and cringe-worthy declarations that had listeners wondering: is this satire?
“I Choose to Be Exceptional”—From the Bench
Let’s start with the moment Harris confidently announced:
“I choose to be exceptional every single day. Like it is literally a choice. Like I wake up and I’m like I don’t know what it’s like just to choose to be average. I don’t f** with average people. They make me uncomfortable. I don’t like to be in the same rooms in the same spaces. I think like it’s contagious.”
Coming from a backup goalie who spent most of her career behind Hope Solo, the irony could not be more palpable. Harris—whose role was quite literally to be the backup plan—somehow decided she’s qualified to lecture the world about average people being “contagious.”
She doubled down with this gem:
“I had the most exceptional 23 players in the world… Everything I did and how I moved every day was the most exceptional people.”
So exceptional, in fact, that she didn’t actually start in most matches. But don’t worry—Ashlyn’s not trying to brag. In fact, she thinks it’s time she tones down her elite mindset:
“I have to unlearn that. I only know what it’s like to live at the top.”
Yes, the top of the bench.
“I need to learn how to be around people who don’t know how to choose greatness just yet.”
“I Don’t Care What People Think”… Except I Totally Do
Early in the interview, Harris confidently declared:
“I don’t give a… No Google alerts. No. No. No. No. If I’ve learned anything, the tabloids are an absolute joke.”
And just a few breaths later:
“I’m such an emo and empath and everything hurts my feelings… I could have 700 nice comments on a post and one is like really mean and I’m like, ‘Oh, that just ruined my day. Thanks.’”
So, she’s completely unbothered… until she isn’t. Which one is it, Ashlyn?
Hooked on Comments
Harris tried to slam the toxicity of Instagram culture:
“We are in a really, really bad mental health crisis because of social media because we’re able to portray this fake life that doesn’t exist.”
Immediately followed by:
[Gets crushed by one mean comment and lets it ruin her day.]
Classic case of “don’t do what I do, just listen to my TED Talk.”
Supremely Confident, Except When She’s Not
In her words:
“I’m confident in myself. I know exactly who I am. I don’t walk into a room feeling like I’m less than… I’m just me.”
But also:
“I hated myself. I didn’t even know who I was. I was a mess. I gained weight. I wasn’t eating healthy.”
For someone who claims to only operate from the top, Harris sounds like she spends a lot of time crashing at the bottom.
Always Prepared… Except When She Isn’t
Another chest-puffing statement:
“I’m never not prepared in soccer.”
Cool. But when it comes to other parts of life?
“I just throw on clothes. I don’t think.”
So is she a meticulous perfectionist or the “whatever feels right” type? Depends on the sentence, apparently.
The Authenticity Paradox
At multiple points, Harris emphasized staying true to her roots:
“I am the same little grom who grew up in Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, Florida… I just never wanted to lose sight of who I was.”
And yet:
“I spent a decade creating a life for myself that I thought was meant for me that wasn’t… I didn’t belong… I hated myself.”
Authenticity apparently includes a full decade of being inauthentic.
“I Have a Lot of Personalities”
At one point, Harris casually admitted:
“I have a lot of personalities.”
Honestly, it’s the most self-aware thing she said. Between the motivational speaker, the emo empath, the confident ego queen, and the insecure ex-wife still figuring things out, the interview plays like a one-woman theater piece where the characters never agree with each other.
The Final Whistle
Ashlyn Harris’s interview was less an inspirational chat and more an accidental comedy special. Her monologue about exceptionalism came across as deeply unaware, while her conflicting claims painted the picture of someone publicly processing an identity crisis in real time.
Sure, Harris deserves credit for her years on the national team and her candid approach—but when backup players start dunking on “average” people and lecturing on greatness, it’s hard not to cringe. Loudly.
The truly exceptional athletes—the real ones—don’t need to tell you they’re great every five minutes. They let their performance speak for itself. Maybe it’s time Ashlyn sat with that lesson… on the same bench she once called home.