Before heading to Olympic training camp with the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Emily Fox returned home to Ashburn, Virginia, for an extended stay for the first time since the pandemic. As the 26-year-old defender began to clean up her room, she went through some of her old childhood mementos.
One of the items she found was a paper she wrote in elementary school about wanting to play in the Olympics.
“I feel like with the Olympics, it’s just so special,” Fox told WTOP. “Because one, it’s Team USA, and two, you have the best of the best athletes (from) all over the world coming into one spot, and you get to appreciate their craft and what they do, as well as your own.”
On Thursday, Fox will make her childhood dreams come true as she takes part of the 18-player roster for the U.S. women’s national team. The Stars and Stripes start Olympic play before the opening ceremony, taking on Zambia on Thursday as part of Group B. Germany and Australia are also featured in the group, with the top two teams qualifying for the knockout round.
In late June, she waited alongside her older brother, Garrett, and younger sister, Lauren, for a call from new head coach Emma Hayes on being selected to play for the U.S. in the Paris Olympics.
Once receiving the official news from Hayes, Fox recalled her siblings “silently cheering” while she let out a “deep breath” before celebrating and calling her parents.
“It was just really exciting and such a huge honor to be able to be a part of this team and represent Team USA,” Fox said about receiving the call. “I think it was just all the feels and very exciting.”
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Playing in a ‘hot spot’ for soccer
Despite also participating in gymnastics, Fox chose soccer at an early age.
Calling Ashburn a “hot spot” for sports, Fox recalled playing competitively all year, including playing indoor soccer, known as futsal, during the winter. It helped that she was playing club soccer in a state that has developed many American soccer stars, male or female.
“A lot of people are doing it,” Fox said. “Especially with having now the (Washington) Spirit team here, it’s just going to grow it even further.”
She played her freshman year at Stone Bridge High School, where Fox scored 16 goals for the Bulldogs to lead them to the state finals. She elected to stay playing for her club team, FC Virginia ’97, which gave her time to play all over the country, including receiving a call to play for the United States U-18 team.
Fox flourished in college from 2017-2020 in North Carolina. Switching positions from midfield to defender, she was a three-time All-ACC first-team selection and helped lead the Tar Heels to two national title game appearances. She continued to excel despite tearing her left ACL twice, with the first happening 13 games into her collegiate career. While at UNC, Fox received her first call-up to the U.S. senior team in 2018, her first of 51 appearances.
After college, Racing Louisville selected Fox as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 National Women’s Soccer League Draft. After two seasons, she was traded to North Carolina. At the end of the 2023 campaign, Fox chose to leave the U.S. to play professionally in Europe for the famed London-based Arsenal’s women’s team.
That decision meant Fox played over 14 months straight of soccer, including the entire NWSL season, the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the second half of the Women’s Super League — the top tier of English women’s soccer. After the Gunners’ final league match in mid-May, Fox headed back home to Ashburn to prepare for the Olympics.
“I’m so used to not being home that I really just look forward to the times I’m there, and I really immerse myself at home,“ she said. “I like to eat dinner at home. We have dogs, so (I’m) very much a homebody when I get the chance to be home.”
Brining back the gold
Fox joins a younger U.S. roster this year, which is without Megan Rapinoe (retired) and Alex Morgan (not selected). Instead, players such as Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman and Portland Thorns striker Sophia Smith are leading the way with Fox becoming a stalwart in the back line.
Playing as an outside back, Fox is known for speed and her defensive capabilities to win one-on-one battles against opposing attackers. Her 5-foot-5 frame also makes her an aerial threat, both offensively and defensively. She floats along the sideline in attack, pushing forward and becoming another threat in attack with her creativity and unpredictability with the ball.
“We have such a stacked defense, and I feel like from top to bottom, this also includes when we have subs and game changers, they make an impact right away,” Fox said. “I feel really confident in our defense.”
Since arriving in June, Hayes said the U.S. has played excellent defense in the four matches. The back line has been especially good at transitioning into a defensive shape when their opponents counter-attack, limiting chances of being caught off, she said.
“I think Tierna (Davidson), Naomi (Girma), Emily (Fox) have done a really, really good job of being consistent of that,” Hayes said. “It’s the foundation of everything: defend well first, and I think we look good with that.”
For Fox, the opportunity to play in the Olympics is a dream come true but comes with major pressure to perform.
After winning gold in four of the first five Olympic women’s soccer tournaments, the United States has struggled. The U.S. has failed to gain a medal in two of the last three Olympic Games, most recently, in a quarterfinal elimination in the 2021 Tokyo Games.
However, Fox does not take the opportunity to represent the U.S. lightly. With her entire family heading to Paris to cheer her on, the defender hopes to help be a part of an American renaissance that leads to an Olympic medal.
“I just think with any chance I get to represent my country and to be a part of this national team, I’m very honored and excited about,” she said.
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