Her current lifestyle might seem a lot for such a young player, but fear not: Fuller is not stressing, she’s thriving.
“I like pressure, I really do,” she said. “I like challenging myself. For me, it’s not draining at all. It’s energizing. With pressure comes responsibility, and I think pressure also reminds you that you have worked so hard and you’ve done everything you can. If you fail, you have to have the mental toughness to get up and go again, but if you put in the work, hopefully you’re going to succeed a lot more.”
Fuller credits her family for helping shape her mentality. Her mom, Kim, played soccer growing up and coaches volleyball, track and soccer. Her dad, Kris, coaches basketball and football. Her younger sister, Kamdyn, plays for her club, Solar FC, and her younger brother, Kolton, is a 10-year-old aspiring football player. (Yes, all of their names start with K).
“Ever since I can remember, we’ve been a competitive family, and I’ve never known anything else,” said Fuller, who calls Kamdyn, 18 months her junior, her ‘best friend and best frenemy.’ “I think it has made me a better person and definitely a better player. I don’t think you should ever accept losing. Will you lose sometimes? Of course. But you can always learn something from losing.”
It’s easy to spot Fuller on the field. First, because of the power she brings to the game. She’s a creative, hustling attacking midfielder with smooth skills, the ability to strike the ball with both feet and impact the game all over the field. She also scores goals at an impressive clip for a number 10.
She’s also easily identifiable due to her distinctive “game hair.” It’s a ‘do that can be best described as “Gwen Stefani/Olivia Rodrigo double-buns meets women’s soccer.”
Fuller calls them her “Warrior Buns.”
“I’ve worn them every game since I was eight,” she said. “I never wear them in training. When I put them in, it’s game time. I don’t really have superstitions, but the buns are definitely a big part of my game day rhythm.”
The buns made their international debut at the 2022 Concacaf U-15 Girls’ Championship in Florida, where Fuller was dominant, scoring nine goals over five games and was awarded with the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. She’s hoping to replicate that success in Mexico, and she’s off to a great start – scoring five goals in the USA’s first match against Panama -- but she knows with a step up in level, it only gets more difficult. Still, she feels confident because of her training mentality.
