Politics & Power Quote by Lorrie Fair

Lorrie Fair captures the feeling of being the team everyone else circles in red ink. Coming from North Carolina, the powerhouse program built by Anson Dorrance, she was steeped in a culture where opponents save their best for you. That same dynamic followed her onto the world stage with the U.S. women, especially in the late 1990s when the program was the benchmark. The image of opponents marking their calendars says more than hype; it speaks to intent, planning, and the emotional charge of a shot at the standard-bearer.

A win over the U.S. was not just three points. It promised validation, a story to tell for years, and sometimes a narrative jolt for a nation still building its soccer identity. For underdogs, the upset is cherished because it rearranges the hierarchy, even if briefly. That elevates the stakes for the favorite. Every match becomes a final because the opposition arrives primed for a peak performance. The margin for complacency disappears.

Fair hints at how UNC served as a proving ground for that pressure. When you play for a dynasty, you inherit the burden of past victories. You also gain the tools to shoulder it: vigilance, focus, and a kind of humility that treats every opponent as dangerous. The calendar metaphor doubles as a warning and a compliment. The U.S. commanded enough respect to be targeted, which is both a privilege and a trap.

In 1999, when Fair was one of the youngest Americans at the World Cup, this mentality was essential. The U.S. women were the measuring stick in a rapidly globalizing game; other nations rallied around the possibility of toppling them. Fair’s line distills a truth about sustained excellence: it does not just require talent. It demands living with a permanent bullseye, meeting others at their highest level, and turning their cherished upset into your routine standard.