Former USA Defender Jay DeMerit Explains His Tunnel Mentality: 'I Had No Fear'

It all started in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Then it moved onto a muddy field in February against Sudbury Town in England – and eventually to facing Lionel Messi and playing every minute of a World Cup.

My mentality was always the same: the tunnel mentality.

When you get in the tunnel, you have a couple of minutes of calm before the storm. You have to go down deep inside and create an unshakable confidence. Someone chose you to be there, so while it’s easy to think "I’m going to get crushed," sometimes...