U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Members Share Their Pre-Game Rituals — From Good Tunes to Naps

Crystal Dunn, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn know the recipe to success on the field.

The members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer team opened up about their rituals and routines before games during the Team USA Tokyo Olympics media summit on Wednesday.

Dunn, 28, tells PEOPLE that she's "the DJ of the team." Explains the athlete, "I'm just trying to get everybody right for the game and just connect with the players through music. And I think that's something we really enjoy, is that time in the locker room to have a bit of a laugh but also kind of refocus and go out to the field and get the job done."

The women — who have all competed at previous Olympic Games and were members of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup-winning squad — each have a different approach, though.

"I'm usually very anxious on game days, so, for me, a really important ritual is nap time," Sauerbrunn admits, adding, "Or it's also just kind of like listening to some tunes on the bus rides and doing visualizations, so I'm like replaying plays in my head … and that seems to calm me down a little smidge."

Her teammates tease Sauerbrunn, 35, about her nerves, with Rapinoe joking, "She's back there with a paper bag [deep breathing]. We're like, 'Becky it's going to be okay.' She gets that way before flights too."

Rapinoe, 35, for her part doesn't have any go-to routines before hitting the pitch.

"I literally do the same exact thing every single time," she tells PEOPLE. "Nothing about it is interesting. It's like getting me from every minute to the next one in the day until we get to play."

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC.


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