Young star Johnston still smiling about World Cup victory

Nearly a month has passed since the U.S. women won the World Cup, but defender Julie Johnston still feels a shock whenever someone on the street congratulates her.

"I still find it surreal sometimes," Johnston said. "Every time I hear it, I just can't stop smiling.

"It's the biggest accomplishment, and not very many people get to do it and be world champions. I relive the moments literally throughout the day."

At 23 years old, she is the second youngest player on the National Team roster. Yet, she played a full 90 minutes in all seven World Cup matches for Team USA and was on the shortlist for the Golden Ball award.

"Being one of the younger ones, it might be a disadvantage for a lack of experience, but we have such high standards for the team and I have such high standards for myself that I never really thought about age when I was playing," Johnston said. "Soccer is soccer."

The Arizona native's performance on the international stage earned her legions of new fans.

"I've had great support through it. I don't know if that's because of the journey I had to take, but if players enjoy watching me, I feel like I'm doing my job, which is to be the best player that I can be and be a great role model," Johnston said. "That's what I want to be and what I strive to be."

The "journey" she refers to includes a time earlier this year when it seemed she wouldn't make the cut as one of the 23 players to represent the United States in the Cup. Injuries to defenders ahead of her - including American soccer legend Christie Rampone - gave Johnston an opportunity. She seized it and went on to showcase her aggressive play as a starting center back.

Johnston wasn't able to make the rapid ascension from on-the-bubble player to defensive star without help from teammates. Each world champion who played alongside her had skills she tried to emulate, she said.

From World Cup final hero Carli Lloyd, she learned the importance of mental toughness and a high fitness level in a taxing competition like the Cup.

With guidance from midfielder Lauren Holiday, she was able to stay emotionally stable when a single goal could have been the difference between a place in history and a seat on the next flight home.

Following 12-year National Team veteran Shannon Boxx from their shared NWSL team, the Chicago Red Stars, to Canada for the Cup showed her how to balance all her responsibilities.

Her list goes on.

"I could literally go through the entire roster and pick and choose what each player does at an elite level that I wanted to add to my game," Johnston said. "One of the people that helped me the most is (fellow defender) Becky Sauerbrunn, being right next to me. This was her first World Cup too, and sometimes I had to remember that because she didn't play like it.

"I would think, 'I want to look as calm, cool and collected as Becky does.'"

Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Ali Krieger and Megan Klingenberg formed a rock-solid back line, combining with goalkeeper Hope Solo to shut out five Cup opponents.

Johnston said the group's camaraderie factored into their success.

"I felt very close with the back line, which we considered Hope part of as well. We respected each other and we always wanted to make the others look good," she said. "Especially in the World Cup, you win by very small margins and you lose by very small margins, so to be on the same page for 90 minutes straight is very difficult but that was the standard we held ourselves to."

With the National Team players dispersing to play for their respective NWSL teams, that dominant defense won't reunite until the first of their victory tour friendlies on Aug. 16. In fact, Johnston will play against Sauerbrunn when the Red Stars take on FC Kansas City on Saturday in Lisle.

The only "break" from soccer Johnston has had since being crowned a champion was a few days in San Diego, she said, where the team attended the ESPYs before heading to New York City for a ticker tape parade. After the celebrations ended, it was back to the daily grind of the domestic league.

However, she had no complaints about her chaotic schedule. On the contrary, she said she wouldn't have it any other way.

"For me, it's really hard to rest," she said. "I'm always focused on what's next and I want to just continue to be better."