As the final whistle blew in Paris on Aug. 13, the U.S. women’s national soccer team rejoiced as it defeated Brazil to win its first Olympic medal in 12 years.
The victory was a mission accomplished for Ashburn, Virginia, native Emily Fox, who wrote a paper in elementary school about her dream of playing in the Olympics. After all the celebrating, Fox planned to take the gold medal back to England with her when she resumed her club career with London side Arsenal.
However, once she arrived home to Ashburn, the 26-year-old elected to leave it behind with her parents. While one of her teammates exposed how fragile the medal was played a factor in her decision, Fox said moving forward with her career was the biggest factor.
“I was like, ‘this is too much stress and responsibility,’ so I didn’t even need see that,” Fox said.
Fox returned home to the D.C. region in late August to take part of Arsenal’s preseason preparations while enjoying some downtime with her family in Virginia. Coming back to the region was a full-circle moment for the defender, who, before the games, spent over a month at home in Ashburn, the longest break she experienced in over a year.
“It’s a lot, but it’s a privilege in many ways is how I think about it,” Fox said, adding that she is “grateful” to representing the United States.
Winning Olympic gold
Fox was featured in all six Olympic matches for the U.S. as a key cog in the defense playing as an outside back. She played the second-most minutes in the back line (572), focused on limiting right-sided attacks by their opponents.
The U.S. “were just clicking” throughout the two weeks, Fox said, in implementing new head coach Emma Hayes’ strategies while handling the demands of playing a match every three days.
A scary moment occurred during the second extra time period in the quarterfinal match against Japan as Fox collided with striker Riko Ueki, who attempted a shot off a corner kick. The defender was pulled for the remainder of the match and needed help to walk off the field. Fox’s injury history — tearing her left ACL twice during her collegiate career — weighed heavily on fans’ minds.
But she returned to play both the semifinals and finals without an issue. The defender said the collision was a “suck it up and just do it” moment that each player faced as part of the demands of winning the goal medal.
“I feel like for all of us, no matter what, we want to learn, we want to grow, and we embraced it,” Fox said. “I just feel like (after) each game during the Olympics, we got better and better.”
Moving forward with Arsenal
After completing a childhood dream, Fox said she likes to remain active and busy. Less than two weeks after standing on the Olympic podium, the defender joined Arsenal in its preseason training at George Mason University in Fairfax. Despite not playing in the actual match, she participated in warm-ups during the Gunners’ preseason finale against Chelsea on Aug. 25 on D.C.’s Audi Field.
Fox walks out with her kit already on, smiling and waving to fans. pic.twitter.com/Jwc6ikMGE5
— José Mauricio Umaña (@Jose_M_Umana) Aug. 25, 2024
But it hasn’t only been work on the field: She also joined several of her teammates for a poetry master class with students from Bancroft Elementary School in a partnership with DC Scores, a community-based nonprofit that blends soccer and community service for D.C. Public School students.
Fox also admitted seeing a sports psychologist following the Olympics to help with the process of moving on.
“I think that’s really important, just in terms of having a closing chapter on a huge event, and then being ready for a whole another year,” Fox said. “That’s been very helpful of navigating my feelings for the rest of the season.”
With the Olympics in the rearview and the next Women’s World Cup two years away, Fox’s attention shifts to accomplishing a new career goal: competing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. After finishing third in league-play last season, Arsenal must win a two-game mini-tournament to qualify for Europe’s largest women’s soccer club competition.
Fox called the prospect of playing two must-win matches “nerve-racking,” but, like the Olympics, she welcomes the challenge.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Champions League, so I think we’re really excited for the opportunity. I think we’re doing everything we can to be the most prepared to start strong and fast for that game,” Fox said. “Every game we want to win, so I really feel like the mentality shouldn’t change. It is win or lose, but if we treat every game like that, we’re doing good.”
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