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Every quality soccer team needs a player with as much industry and heart as Heather O’Reilly. The 26-year-old outside midfielder was instrumental in the USWNT’s World Cup success. For one, who can forget this strike against Colombia:

On Monday, O’Reilly chatted with AWK about coming down from the high of the World Cup, the impact the USWNT’s performance has had on the women’s game, transitioning to the midfield, and her impending nuptials.

You were part of Mia Hamm’s Celebrity Soccer Challenge last weekend. How was that?

[The line dropped during the first two minutes of the call, so Heather’s answer got cut off] The highlights for me were to score on Kobe Bryant, that was pretty sweet. And for the head coach of Barcelona to be there was really cool as well.

Did people like Kobe Bryant and Pep Guardiola talk to any of the Women’s National Team players about the Women’s World Cup at all?

Kobe was really into the World Cup, he said he watched all the games. I know that Kobe is a soccer fan from years prior. At the Olympics in Beijing he came to watch us against Brazil. I know that he’s a huge Marta fan but he said he was cheering for the U.S. He’s got a lot of respect for the game. I didn’t talk to Pep about it, but no, Kobe and everyone who was playing there was obviously very excited about what we did in Germany.

Ali and Alex were also there, as well as a few other USWNT players. What was the public’s reaction to you guys in terms of your heightened profile due to the World Cup?

I think it was fantastic. Although we didn’t win the World Cup like we would have liked to so many positive experiences have come out of in the way we played and what we accomplished. I think the Brazil game was huge for the public to see an incredible game and an incredible finish. So yeah, in terms of exposure and publicity it’s definitely raised a lot. We’re so excited about that because we feel like we impacted the sport and changed the women’s game forever and really try to expand the fan base.

The U.S.’ performance in the World Cup captivated the country. I hear a lot of Women’s National Team players being asked this question, but were you aware of just how much attention it was getting in the States while you were in Germany?

A lot of our families back home were keeping us in the loop of just how into it everybody really was with social media and stuff like that. We definitely could get a sense, but I would say it wasn’t until we got home that we saw just how much America rallied behind us. We came off from our flight in Newark, we went to Times Square and there was just crowds cheering for us, letting us know how much we inspired them. I can’t speak for everyone but for myself, I was really proud of it when we got home. Although we didn’t win, I was just proud that the game won and there’s so much to be proud of.

What was it like once you arrived back in NYC? There was that huge crowd waiting for you guys and then there was the whirlwind of media appearances. I mean, were you guys just dead tired or did all seem so surreal?

I just think emotionally we were just all over the map. We were bummed but so proud at the same time and so encouraged. So yeah, it was a whirlwind of emotions and it still has been. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks just to come home and experience that reception and now to get back into our WPS season it’s been a whirlwind of a month. It made us smile a lot more knowing that people were so impacted by the team.

Did the public’s reaction to the World Cup exceed your wildest expectations heading into the tournament?

I think it did. What really exceeded my expectations was the demographic of people following was definitely expanded. I think I just anticipated that the young girl soccer players and their families to be following, but I really think that we really cracked into the general sports fans’ mindset and a lot of young boys and guys are now fans of the sport and the USWNT.

Yeah, and it’s important that the World Cup caught hold of that demographic. So what’s the most important thing the sport needs to do to sustain this interest going forward?

I think that’s the million dollar question. I think that it’s all baby steps and I think that 1999 was a huge step for the women’s game and soccer in our country. I think last year’s World Cup for the men in South Africa was also a huge step and this one gained us a lot of ground in terms of just raising the love of the game in this nation. That’s important to keep in mind that we had a huge step. That being said I think it’s important that we emphasize that we have an amazing pro league here where people can see the stars up close and personal. I think it’s important to emphasize one year from now we’re going to be competing for Olympic gold. That turnaround is crucial for Americans to continue to follow the U.S. national team.

I hate to bring up it up, but there was of course the loss in the final. The U.S. had probably played its best game of soccer in a while but everything came apart at the end. Are you still making peace with the result?

Yeah, of course, I think it was a tough loss for us. I thought that it was our game to win and we played some great soccer and scored great goals. It’s weird to say but it just wasn’t meant for us to be this year. It was Japan’s storybook ending. They played extremely composed being a goal down two different times and we just have to give so much credit to Japan for a well-fought soccer match. I think everyone would say that about that game. Hats off to Japan for that one.

Some people say that it’s simply impossible to truly get over a loss like that. It’s always the one that got away. Do you think there’s some truth to that?

I don’t think so, it’s definitely a tough loss, but we’re already chomping at the bit to win gold at the Olympics. We play sports knowing that losing is a possibility. It makes soccer such a great game. We’re just more hungry to go out and win gold a year from now on. This is a perfect turnaround because we’ll have a couple months off in the fall to decompress and then once November hits we’ll cranking again for Olympics qualifying. That’s a life of pro. We’re all excited for what the year has to come.

How would you assess your individual performance at the tournament?

I’m proud of what I accomplished. I’m really happy with the goal I scored against Colombia. I think that was one of the best goals I’ve scored in my career. It felt great to strike a ball like that and start off a game like that. Unfortunately I had a little bit of an injury plaguing me for about a week and a half in the tournament. I was disappointed by the unfortunate timing of that as an abductor groin strain kept me out of the Sweden match. I was also happy to assist Laruen Cheney to start off our quest to win the semifinal. I think I had a solid performance. I would have liked to contribute more and help the team win. I’m personally even more inspired after watching such incredible soccer. It’s only going to inspire me on the training field to be the best that I can be.

Lauren Cheney made a surprise move to the outside left flank. You guys seemed to have a good relationship. Did you guys just naturally click?

I think that Lauren Cheney is a really easy player to play with because she has such incredible vision. Whether she’s playing in the middle or out wide, she has an uncanny ability to break pressure and play the long ball to the wing. I love playing with her, I think she finds me a lot on the wing. Like I said, she’s just very smart. I was very proud of the way she performed in the World Cup.

To flash back to the quarterfinals game against Brazil, the team was mere minutes away from elimination before Abby scored that amazing header. Was there a moment in extra time when you thought “oh my god, we might actually lose this”?

(Laughs) I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel that way. I was extremely confident that we would pull out a goal until I looked up at the clock and it flashed up three minutes of stoppage time. In that moment I had a little bit of a freak out (laughs), but once we started building up the play, you could just tell it was a perfect set-up. I’m so proud of Megan Rapinoe to whip in a left-footed cross like that. I know being a wing midfielder how much we’ve been working on our crosses for the past two years so it was really sweet to see Megan’s work pay off.

The U.S. had a rocky couple of months leading in to the tournament but obviously performed well enough to make it to the final. Was there just a different kind of atmosphere at training at the World Cup that heightened players’ performances?

The World Cup raises everyone’s performances. We just brought what we had worked on. I think Abby said one time that preparation beats pressure. We believed in our preparation, we believed in the lessons we had learned from those tough matches and the adversity we had faced. We believed in our good habits that we’ve kept as a team. It was great to see so many things come together at that time.

You started off as a striker and really made your name in that position. Then in 2008 Pia moved you to the wing and you’ve since looked like a classic winger. Were you always really an outside midfielder but just never knew it?

(Laughs) I love playing striker. There’s nothing more fun to me than being on the restraining line and being able to get in behind defenses. That being said Pia has encouraged me to have the same passion on the sidelines and to work up and down the right flank and playing cat-and-mouse with other team’s left-backs. So in that case I love being on the flank. I’m just as excited when I have an assist as a goal now. It’s an art, it’s a craft to play balls in the box, and I sort of embrace that role. Obviously when I’m out on the field I’ll do whatever role the coach needs from me.

You’re back with Sky Blue now. Do you find yourself having to fight to reclaim your starting position?

Well, in the end it’s not my decision to be made. I just try to do what I do every day. Like I said, just keep good habits, train, be a good pro, a good teammate. I just focus on doing what I need to do. I’ve come back with Sky Blue and been named captain. I’m just excited about helping our team in any way possible. Our team has great chemistry which also makes it easier.

Jim Gabarra has already made quite an impact on the team. You’ve been with Sky Blue since day one. What has he done that is different from other coaches in the past?

I think he definitely encourages a lot of passes in the midfield, not everything has to go forward, to slow down the game a little bit. We have some really crafty players on the ball with Tobin Heath, Casey Nogueira, Therese Sjogran, Allie Long. We’re a very technical team and a team that really likes to play and keep the ball. We definitely have a less direct style in the past and that’s been fun. Jim’s been absolutely great. He’s been really supportive of me and having to split my duties between club and country. He’s been really helpful in making sure we’re not doing too much because it’s been a long summer of soccer. We have three [now two] very crucial regular season games left so we have to make sure we’re energized for those.

And what’s the most important thing the team needs to do to stay in the playoff hunt?

It’s a great question. We’ve put together some really great performances. We’re really proud of our magicJack result that we just had [on July 27] beating magicJack at their place 2-0, knocking the ball around really nice, and a couple finishes, and a finish. It’s about being tidy in the back and staying organized especially because this league is so full of fast strikers. Our backline has done a great job of dropping back on cue and absorbing pressure and it’s about finishing our chances. Every game we’ve lost we’ve had chances of putting the game away. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of your goal-scoring opportunities.

Last question: When you look back at 2011, what’s going to be your fondest memory: scoring that goal against Colombia, playing in a World Cup final, maybe making the WPS playoffs, or your impending wedding?

(Laughs) This year has been so incredible so far, hopefully I’ll have some more happy times ahead, I think I will. Um, (laughs) I think I’ll probably have to go with the wedding in case my spouse reads this. I’ll stay safe with that one. The soccer has just been incredible, and it’s been nice to balance that out with a happy personal life as well.

Thanks to Heather and John.

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