English striker and Arsenal forward Alessia Russo already knows how she wants to spend her time in the USA.

The team is preparing for its first-of-its-kind preseason tour, starting with a match against the NWSL’s Washington Spirit at Audi Field on August 18, before a friendly against long-time WSL rival Chelsea on August 25. But Russo has other plans for her time in Washington, DC.

“I’m looking forward to going to Chipotle – I love it there,” she said Only women’s sports about a week before her team was due to fly across the Atlantic. “They actually have a few in London, but they’re really far away for me. So I’m looking forward to Chipotle.”

Russo has already reached heights in her football career that she only dreamed of as a child: she won the European Championship with England in 2022, made it to the final of the World Cup the following year and signed for Arsenal in 2023 after three successful years as a star for Manchester United.

Russo’s soccer career first took her to the United States in 2017, where she gained her first experience of NCAA soccer at the University of North Carolina alongside her current Arsenal teammate Lotte Wubben-Moy. In a way, her team’s trip to Washington, DC – about a four-hour drive from Chapel Hill – is a homecoming of sorts for the striker.

“I loved my time in college,” Russo said. “I remember going there pretty young and naive, thinking I was going to throw myself into this new environment and experience. I came out with best friends who I still talk to all the time today.”

Although sold-out crowds at Wembley Stadium have become the norm for the 25-year-old Kent native – not to mention the ever-growing crowds at London’s Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal Women play 11 home games this season – Russo’s memories of Chapel Hill are more like those of the average college student.

“We used to eat at Panera before games,” she recalls. “Everyone was like, ‘Why are we going to Panera again?’ But Lotte (Wubben-Moy) and I loved it, so we’ll definitely go back.”

While Arsenal’s pre-season tour gives Russo plenty of time to relive her glory days, it also serves as preparation for the upcoming WSL season and is a way to reach fans who might otherwise never see their favourite players in person. The club has taken advantage of these special opportunities in the 2024 off-season and has already completed a short tour of Australia.

Russo has cherished the chance to play in front of fans around the world, but her busy international schedule and increasing workload at her club have meant she has had to be careful to get rest on her precious days off.

“I think you have to make the most of it when you have time to completely unwind,” she said. “It’s something I probably wasn’t very good at as a kid, but the older I get, the more I know my body and what works for me.”

Enjoying this rare warm-weather break, Russo also stressed the support she has received from both Arsenal and England training staff and that workload management – especially in pre-season – can be a key factor in achieving individual and team goals.

Their friendly against an NWSL team currently third in the league table will also be an important step in Arsenal’s preparation plans and a challenge that specifically harks back to Russo’s time in North Carolina. The NWSL is known for its transition-oriented game, where the ball is moved quickly and hurts the opposition on counterattacks.

The Spirit have taken that ethic and developed it further this season, creating a stable midfield that can both hold the ball and push forward down the wings. Former Barcelona coach Jonatan Giraldez has full control of the team.

“I think it’s going to be a really tough game, we all know that,” Russo added. “Plus, they’re in their season, so they’re going to be at their best and they’re going to be firing on all cylinders.”

However, if a game does happen, Russo will be ready: “When I went to the States, I developed a different side of the game in terms of power, strength and physicality, because to fit into the game and into college football, you have to be strong.”

“I just had to get my body where I wanted it to be,” she continued. “And that’s still a work in progress today, but UNC was kind of the starting point for all of that.”

Arsenal will need to rely on all of Russo’s experience this season as the club needs to regroup its attack following the spectacular departure of superstar striker Vivianne Miedema, who signed for perennial title contenders Manchester City during the off-season. And although Miedema’s playing time at Arsenal has been dwindling since she returned from injury, the team still needs to build serious links up front if they are to improve on their third-place finish in the 2023-24 WSL. According to Russo, diversity will play a major role in Arsenal’s revamp.

“I think we’ve grown a lot as a team and reflected a lot after last season,” Russo said. “Ultimately, as a club like Arsenal, we want to win trophies and we know we have the talent to do that – in the dressing room and with all our staff.”

“I think we have so many special players with and without the ball, wingers and number 10s, who have so many different qualities, even between each other – one winger likes it, the other is the complete opposite. That makes it really cool and unpredictable.”

Russo describes herself as a forward-thinking player who likes to score goals but can also take on the role of a No.9 without the ball, making a point of applying pressure when the team is out of possession. Executing in attacking areas could make all the difference for a club looking to challenge the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City for domestic honours and return to the top of European competition with the UEFA Champions League campaign looming.

Arsenal is also poised to continue to grow the sport and capitalize on a global movement that has fueled the rise of women’s soccer in the U.S., Europe and beyond. Russo noted that while there has always been talent on the pitch, she feels fortunate to be part of a generation that is putting women’s sport in the spotlight.

“(The fans) really want the game to evolve and they are real fans of the women’s game,” she said. “Playing in stadiums like this – whether it’s in England, in Australia or in the US – women’s football is no longer in question today, we have our fan base and we are reaching the stages that we deserve.”

For Russo, the way forward is clear: she wants to win trophies with Arsenal, take the momentum into the 2025 European Championship and then shine in all international and club tournaments – and never forget her gratitude, no matter how high her star rises.

“People have a real connection to following these journeys and stories,” she said. “I feel very privileged to be in this position and hope it continues for a long time.”