Shannon Boxx Is Proud Of Former USWNT Teammates For Standing Up About Turf

— -- Recently retired U.S. women's soccer star Shannon Boxx, 38, was in Cary, North Carolina, this weekend for the Women's College Cup. The legendary midfielder, who hung up her cleats earlier this fall after 12 years with the national team, was a special guest of the NCAA for the title game Sunday between Duke and Penn State.

Having led Notre Dame to an NCAA title in 1995 and two other appearances in the championship game during her tenure at the school, Boxx was clearly happy to be back at the familiar event. She chatted with us before the game to talk about the tournament, life after soccer and -- of course -- the breaking news about her former team's game in Hawaii being canceled.

espnW: Starting with the breaking news of the day, the U.S. national team's game was canceled today in Hawaii due to the condition of the field. What was your first reaction to the news?

Boxx: Just saw on Twitter that the U.S. women's national team is obviously not going to have their game today because of field conditions. I'm happy for the players, I'm happy they finally stood up and spoke out about the field conditions. I don't know what happened with Megan [Rapinoe] in practice, but I've been around the team and we haven't played on the best conditions. And to have played eight of our 10 games on turf, where we've been very vocal about fighting against that, it's a little bit concerning. I'm glad they finally chose to cancel that game. I saw what the field looked like and it didn't look safe enough for our players. And that's what's really important. Olympic qualifiers are coming up in February. I know they feel really terrible they can't play in front of the fans, but in the end, they needed to stand up, and I think this was the right time to do it.

espnW: What do you hope happens as a result of this?

Boxx: I hope the U.S. Soccer Federation takes this into better consideration. We should be treated just like the men. I don't think the men have played on a turf field all year, and why are we now playing on these types of fields, in these conditions? I don't know how it works on how they pick locations. It's always been one of the questions we've always wondered, but I think they hopefully will now take into consideration that the women's team is going to speak up when the fields aren't in the greatest condition, and hopefully help us protect ourselves and pick better facilities.

espnW: Have there been other instances like this where the team has talked about canceling a game because of the conditions?

Boxx: No, it hasn't gotten to this level. I think Alex [Morgan] has been the person speaking out first and foremost, and now the whole team is speaking up. I think it's really important as we go and move on. The game is growing and we need to grow with it. We just need to make sure we're in a good location and a good environment to train in, and train hard and not worry about, "Am I going to hurt myself?" That's something we really can't think about when we're practicing or playing games.

espnW: Speaking of injuries, Megan Rapinoe tore her ACL at practice this week. Have you talked to her? What do you know about the injury?

Boxx: Megan did tear her ACL in training. I don't know the specifics of how it happened or why, but I have spoken to her. As soon as I found out, I texted her and said how sorry I was that this happened to her. She's been through this before. The one thing I know about Megan is that she's so strong and so determined, and so positive. You saw that in all her tweets. She wants to thank the fans for their support, and you can just see that positive tone. If anybody can come back from this, it's her. The team does need her, on and off the field. Her personality is so huge and so infectious. I feel so bad for her, she's been through this before and knows what it takes, but it doesn't make it any easier. I'm definitely going to be pulling for her to get back in time [for the Rio Olympics].

espnW: How will her absence impact the team on the field?

Boxx: It's a very tough loss to have Megan off the field. The great thing about the U.S. team is there is big depth, but they are going to lose that personality that comes out in big games. You saw that at the World Cup. She really ignites the team. That's something they're really going to miss 100 percent. I think they're really going to be pulling for her to make it back for the Olympics. I think she can help the team win a gold medal. But in saying that, it's nice to see that there is a depth that they have and it will be someone very different than Megan filling that spot. I think that we have the depth to do that, but again, it would be nice to get Megan back out on the field. She's definitely a different type of player that you can't replace.

espnW: Is it weird talking in past tense about the team? Do you miss being part of it?

Boxx: I do! I miss being part of the team. But I do feel very comfortable where I am with my retirement. Although I don't feel like I've really retired yet with all the stuff I've been doing. But watching them go to Hawaii, I'm excited to watch them play. I miss my friends and my teammates of course, but I am very comfortable being at home with my daughter and realizing this is where I really wanted to be at this point in my life. I had a great career and I loved playing every minute of it, but I'm really excited about the next chapter.

espnW: And what does the next chapter entail?

Boxx: Initially it's being a mom, but I definitely want to stay in the game of soccer. If it's coaching, I live in Portland, which is the mecca of soccer, so it's a great spot to be in. I definitely want to coach young kids, do some camps this next year. That's definitely my goal, and then we'll see where it goes from there.

espnW: Will it be hard watching the team in the immediate future, especially at such big events like the Olympics?

Boxx: It will! But I think watching the team this next year will be exciting. It will be hard at times, don't get me wrong. I'm going to miss playing. But, again, I'm ready for the next chapter.

espnW: Abby Wambach is of course also retiring, what has she meant to the game?

Boxx: She is the national team. She's become such a great friend. It's so hard because you don't want to see her go but also, I'm so thankful I had the chance to play with her for the majority of her career on the national team. We came on really around the same time, and to see her career grow the way it did and to see how she's grown on and off the field, has been amazing. She's become the face of this team, and has helped grow the game so much. I know for her, she doesn't want to be remembered as just Abby Wambach, she really, genuinely wants to see the next person beat all of her records so that she can say the game has really, really grown. I think that's a true testament to the type of person she is. She doesn't want to be remembered for being the best -- she wants someone next to break those records. That's pretty cool and very inspiring. She's the one person I knew, when it came down to the clutch and we needed a win, that's who we wanted to give the ball too. She's had an amazing career and, more so, she's one of my best friends. We live four minutes down from the road from each other, so I know our friendship will continue to grow. I'm just thankful my daughter had the chance to be around her and see her. What a great role model.

espnW: Is there a memory, on or off the field, of Abby that jumps out for you during your years playing together?

Boxx: Honestly I think all of my memories are just her being her off the field. On the field, she was obviously such a dominant player, but I think off the field, I will always think of her talking on the team bus. She will never shut up! She talks ALL the time on the bus. That is just Abby. That is who she is and I catch myself saying, "Abby, stop talking!". But then I realize, whenever she's talking, I find myself focusing on whatever she's saying, even if it's not the conversation I'm actually in. She's just so funny and so interesting, so in the end I always wanted her to talk but it was just fun to bug her about it.

espnW: What does it mean being back here at the College Cup, where you obviously had such success with Notre Dame?

Boxx: It's great. It's been a long time since I've been in this environment. To see how much it's grown, I mean, it's a sold-out game today, that's so cool to see. This is where it all started for me. I went to three College Cups, winning one my freshman year. It's such a great experience that I will never forget. I know this is what jump-started my career. This was the first championship I won.

espnW: How did playing in such an environment against such quality competition help prepare you for playing on the national team?

Boxx: It definitely did help. Just the environment you're in, and the sacrifices you're making for your school. You're playing to represent your school, just like you're playing to represent your country. It's obviously a different level, and the speed of the game improves, but it really was the start of me realizing this is what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to play soccer at the top level. Playing in front of a huge crowd is something you have to get used to playing on the national team. I think this is the start for a lot of the girls here, and it will be fun to see how they do at the next level.

espnW: What stands out in your memory most about your time at the College Cup?

Boxx: I think that freshman year win stands out the most for me. We were a great team with great individual players, but it was more about the team and how we won it as a team. We struggled midseason, and then we came back and won it. We weren't ranked top 10 so we were an underdog. It was really cool to see how we did that. That stayed with me the rest of my career -- playing as a team, playing my role. I tried to transition that to my national team career as well. It wasn't about me, it was about the team and winning it for our country.