USA Preview: Emily Fox

A Group E interview with the North Carolina Courage defender as the United States chase a third successive title with a substantially new squad. Fox names Becky Sauerbrunn as her mentor, recalling teammates’ video tributes at the captain’s 200th cap, and says the team’s consistency comes from having many leaders rather than formal captains. She treats pre-match nerves as proof she cares, managing them with breathing and three points of focus for the opening minutes, and accepts that for the United States anything but winning counts as a disappointment. She also discusses her University of North Carolina years alongside Lotte Wubben-Moy and Alessia Russo, whose Euros success she celebrated, and admits to being a lifelong night owl.