After a standout rookie season in the National Women’s Soccer League and impressive showings with the U.S. Women’s National Team to close out the year, Emily Fox has been nominated for the 2021 Chipotle U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year award.
Because no Youth National Team matches were played in 2021 to the global pandemic, players were eligible for the 2021 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year if they were 23-years-of-age or younger and a) played in a senior WNT match this calendar year or b) played in the 2020 Concacaf U-20 Women’s Championship. Players can win the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year Award only once.
· READ MORE: 2021 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year Nominees
While nominees are selected by U.S. Soccer’s technical staff, fans will now have the opportunity to vote on select Player of the Year Awards, with the fan vote comprising 15% of the total vote. Voting for the awards starts Monday, Dec. 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET and closes on Dec. 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced throughout the month of December.
· VOTE NOW: Fan Voting for Player of the Year Awards
Making the case for Emily Fox as the 2021 Chipotle Young Female Player of the Year:
· The 23-year-old defender made five appearances for the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2021, highlighted by a standout performance against Australia on November 30 in the final match of the year. Fox was named the Budweiser Woman of the Match after an excellent showing vs. the Matildas in Newcastle, Australia, playing 77 minutes and helping keep a potent Australian attack in check.
In the wee hours of the morning, @___emilyfox earned @budweiserusa Woman of the Match honors for her performance versus Australia 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/kigBPfrmyd
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 30, 2021
· Fox made her first appearance of the year during the USWNT’s January Camp, coming on as a second-half substitute on Jan. 22 against Colombia in her first appearance for the Senior National Team since 2019.
· On Oct. 26 against Korea Republic, she logged her first 90-minute performance in a U.S. uniform. She also saw action against South Korea in Kansas City, playing 22 minutes, and started the USA’s penultimate match of the year in Sydney, playing 45 minutes against Australia.
· The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, Fox had an excellent season for Racing Louisville as a rookie, playing 1,856 minutes over 23 matches with 22 starts and rarely leaving the field for the expansion side.
And the pick is in! 🙌
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) January 14, 2021
Congrats to the FIRST overall pick in the 2021 @NWSL Draft... @___emilyfox! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PuVU90U9f0
· She was named to the 2021 NWSL Best XI Second Team and finished second in the voting for NWSL Rookie of the Year.
This is Fox’s first nomination for U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.