Stephanie Cox

Many things have changed for Stephanie Cox since her first World Cup appearance in 2007. Back then, she was known as Stephanie Lopez and, at 21, was the youngest player on the roster. She was its only active collegian and planned to return to the University of Portland for the remainder of her senior season. Although it was her first world championship at the senior level, the defender started all six matches and played all but 45 minutes of the tournament.

By that point, the outside back had already garnered some attention at both the collegiate and international levels. She was first-team All-American at Portland her sophomore season when the Pilots won the 2005 NCAA title with an undefeated 23-0-2 record. The next year, Cox captained the U.S. team to a fourth-place finish at the 2006 U-20 Women's World Cup.

After breaking out at the 2007 Cup and marrying former Portland baseball player Brian Cox that December, Cox just barely made the 2008 U.S. Olympic team; she was brought back after injuries dropped another player from the roster. However, once on the field, Cox played a crucial role in the Americans' path to the gold medal with an assist to Carli Lloyd for a 1-0 victory over Japan during group play.

Professionally, Cox has played for two WPS teams. In 2009, she helped the Los Angeles Sol to a first-place finish in the league's inaugural season. In 2010, she signed with her current team, the Boston Breakers. She led the team in minutes played that year, logging 2,038, and helped lead Boston to the WPS playoffs the following season.

Cox has one of the more unique back stories on Team USA: Her parents, Rob and Cindy, have cared for over 100 foster babies, whether for a few hours or a few years, in the family's home outside of Sacramento, Calif., since Cox was 10 years old. Cox is also the first woman of Hispanic descent to play a major role on the U.S. national team (her paternal grandparents are Mexican).