Fresh from winning an Olympic gold medal, it's been a double homecoming for Emily Fox as she returned to the Arsenal squad and the United States.
The Virginia native grew up a stone's throw from our Washington D.C. which has served as our tour base for the past 10 days.
Ahead of our pre-season clash with Chelsea, Fox fielded questions from the media about her Olympic win, managing minutes at the start of the season and the biggest differences between the NWSL and the WSL.
Here is what she had to say:
on our previous match against Washington Spirit...
I recorded the game so I could watch it the day after and I thought it was amazing. It looked very hot, so I knew that we were probably a little bit shocked by how hot it was! But no, it was a great game, really back and forth. I know the Spirit girls have said that they already want a rematch. It was great preparation for us.
on her favourite player in our men's team...
Because I'm an outside back, I want to say White or Zinchenko. I love watching them play. I used to play on the left side and invert the way they do too, so it was always nice to be able to watch their games and get inspiration from both of them.
on what she'd say to supporters who'll see Arsenal play for the first time today...
I would say, are you ready for a hot game? If you want to bring an umbrella, not for rain for the first time, but for some shade, that would be really smart!
Because we do typically play in England, we're so honoured and excited to have a huge game against Chelsea in the US.
on her return schedule after a busy summer at the Olympics...
The Olympics was crazy and amazing in both ways. Playing every three days was a lot, but again, it makes it more special in terms of just how much work and how much effort we put in to get the win and to get the gold medal.
In terms of the short turnaround, I knew it was coming so I've been preparing for it. At Arsenal, with the girls and the staff, I know I can communicate to them how I feel. We have a good program in terms of my lead into the season.
I think throughout the season we're going to make sure that I'm being managed and all of us are working in tandem together to make that work so I can play, but also be healthy and be good to go.
on returning home for this game...
It's amazing. Having our Olympic send-off here, having the Olympics, and now having another send-off in a sense at Audi Field will be amazing. I know a lot of my family and friends are coming, so I'm really excited about it. This has never happened before, so it's just a new experience.
on the differences between the NWSL and the WSL...
I would say my biggest difference is travel. Our furthest game is a few hours' drive so that's definitely a big difference. My experience so far has been amazing and I am so grateful for how smooth the move was and how welcoming everyone was. Transitioning from the US, I knew that was a risk but that was why I wanted to do it, to push myself. I feel like Arsenal was just the perfect club.
on aspirations to play in other leagues...
I'm really committed to Arsenal. I'm saying that because it's 100% how I feel! I can't imagine going anywhere else.
I think in terms of players and coaches going to other leagues, that will definitely happen. Especially just in terms of the NWSL, with the CBA that just passed, that would be more appealing. And there's also the WSL, with us getting sold-out crowds. There are a lot of things in both leagues that can attract players.
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
