The veteran striker looked set for an unceremonious exit, but she's played her way right back into Olympic contention
Back in early February, looked like the right time to write Alex Morgan off. Many did, us included. It already looked like she simply had too much ground to make up in the race for the Olympics, so when she was left off the U.S. women's national team's Gold Cup roster, the end seemed inevitable.
At that point, the discussion wasn't about what role Morgan could play in France, but rather how to send her off in a way befitting of her legacy. But those types of discussions change quickly, don't they? Just a few weeks after seemingly missing out on a chance to make one last push to the Olympics, Morgan is firmly back in the mix, having seized a chance that seemed totally impossible.
Morgan still faces a fight to get into the Olympic squad. Nothing is certain and there's still so much that can happen between now and when Emma Hayes even arrives to coach the team. Morgan, though, has given herself a legitimate shot after turning back the clock during the Gold Cup.
GettyOutside looking in
After the World Cup, the USWNT began to phase out a number of their most experienced stars. Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz were first to go after announcing their retirements, but it was quickly made clear that a more wide-ranging change of the guard was fully underway.
Morgan, a true USWNT legend, began to fall down the pecking order, as she was left out of camp for the final friendlies of 2023. At the time, the thought process was that it was a good time to look at new faces and that Morgan would inevitably be back. But if one exclusion is an experiment, two exclusions are a trend, and that's what we got in February.
The 34-year-old striker was left out of the USWNT's Gold Cup squad entirely. Even with several training camp invitees, Morgan's name was totally absent. It appeared that the U.S. was singularly focused on ushering in a new generation of forwards, with rising stars Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel joining World Cup veterans Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith as the faces of that next group.
An untimely injury, though, led to Morgan's return, and she's made the most of it.
AdvertisementGettyDisaster strikes for Fishel
It looked like this Gold Cup was going to be Fishel's chance for big breakout. The Chelsea star got her first taste of USWNT minutes post-World Cup, scoring in her second appearance, a 3-0 win over Colombia.
Throughout her young career, Fishel has developed a reputation for being a pure goalscorer, with her 35 strikes in 46 appearances for Tigres during the 2022-23 season earning her a move to Chelsea and that initial USWNT look.
However, the 22-year-old suffered a heart-breaking ACL injury on the eve of the tournament, one that will keep her out for some time. It's a horrible, horrible blow to a player who still has so much ahead of her, even if it'll take her a bit longer now to go and claim it.
In need of a new striker, the USWNT turned back to Morgan to step into the squad on short notice.
"I had just gotten to Coachella tournament for our preseason tournament with San Diego. I literally had been there for an hour, so I had a carry-on suitcase assuming I was going to be gone for three days," Morgan told. "I got the call and said, 'Okay, now time to go to LA.' I was there within two-and-a-half hours and then played the next night. So it was a little bit of a whirlwind, but at the same time, I understood that it was a long lead-up to the Gold Cup, a lot of training sessions, anything could happen.
"I wanted to stay ready in case of injury or anything, and that's what I did. I worked hard, dug in with San Diego, did extra with Casey [Stoney], our coach at San Diego, and wanted to just use this preseason as an opportunity for myself to grow as a player and as a teammate, and was fortunate enough to get the call."
GettyNew memories in the No.7
Watching Morgan wear the No.7 still looks weird, even after seeing it for a few games. Seeing the name 'Morgan' on a USWNT shirt with anything other than the No.13 feels like sacrilege. Even so, Morgan has taken that new number and run with it, making several big statements in the process.
First she needed to end her goal drought, one that hung over her head for about a year. That happened in the 5-0 win over the Dominican Republic in the tournament opener, with the goal coming 363 days after her last for the USWNT. Then, after going just short of a year between goals, she scored again two days later, looping in a header for the third of four goals in the win over Argentina.
It hasn't just been the goals, though. In the quarterfinal clash with Colombia, she played a key part in Jenna Nighswonger's goal in a match that ended as a 3-0 USWNT win. That was only one moment of Morgan doing the dirty work, the unseen and unquantified efforts that don't pop up on that stat sheet as much. Throughout this tournament, Morgan's ability to put her and her teammates into dangerous positions has been extremely valuable for a team that, aside from the shock loss to Mexico, has largely looked dominant.
"Being on the front foot, and making sure that our 9 and 10 was ready to defend, was a really important thing in the game," interim coach Twila Kilgore said of Morgan. "I thought Alex did a tremendous job, had a very veteran performance."
Morgan's contributions haven't just been with her play, though, as her attitude has also helped the USWNT set a tone.
GettyRemaining a leader
Morgan's words carry weight; that much is certain. When you have as many caps, goals and trophies as she does, what you say and do becomes just a bit more relevant, and doubly so when you consider the fact that half of the USWNT locker room grew up idolizing here.
So, when the USWNT was embarrassed by Mexico, it was Morgan who stepped up to let the rest of the team know what's what.
“Mexico deserved that win against us,” Morgan told . “We didn’t play well, we didn’t execute the game plan well, we didn’t take advantage of opportunities and they did. They had incredible chances and goals and put us on our heels. It was a tough defeat.
“In the locker room, I definitely had some words to share just about how we can’t allow this to happen through 90 minutes. I mean, 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there, but a 90-minute match like we did against Mexico, it wasn’t in our DNA, it wasn’t good enough.”
When the USWNT took the field in their next match against Colombia, it was clear that the team did so with a different attitude. Colombia tried to push the U.S. around, but Morgan and the U.S. showed little fear in pushing back. Just minutes into the game, Morgan was getting right into the faces of any Colombian defender in her way. They wouldn't be able to unsettle the U.S…. Not today.
When the U.S. was awarded a penalty, Morgan was smart enough to play decoy. Colombia pulled off all the usual tricks to try and unsettle a penalty taker, only for Morgan to toss the ball to Lindsey Horan. Less than 15 minutes into the match, the USWNT had set a tone that they wouldn't be bullied or pushed around.
Instead, they did much of the bullying, in terms of play and attitude. Rodman walked a tightrope but walked it well enough to avoid a red card despite repeated clashes with Colombian players. The referee let the game get a bit out of hand, but the USNWT, in general, did just enough to avoid trouble while fighting back on their terms.
Because of that, it was one of the most impressive performances the U.S. has had in a while. They've scored plenty since the World Cup, yes, but this was the first match where they showed a little bit of that rougher side, one that will help them massively at the Olympics this summer. And it was Morgan who set the tone for it all, refusing to back down while leading from the very front.