Alex Morgan insisted she is not considering retirement following the U.S. women’s national team’s shock early exit from the World Cup.
The USWNT crashed out at the last 16 against Sweden on penalties, failing to find the net in a scoreless 120 minutes before being eliminated by a deciding Sweden penalty that crossed the line by millimeters.
Morgan started all four games of the World Cup but failed to find the net, including a missed penalty against Vietnam.
At age 34 and having just completed her fourth World Cup, Morgan was asked by ESPN about the game and her future with the USWNT.
“It’s hard to lose on penalties but we didn’t put it away in the game and that’s what happens,” Morgan said. “We went to penalties where it’s a flip of a coin and that’s what happens. It’s just a tough one.”
Asked if she had played her final USWNT game, Morgan said: “I’m not planning to hang up my boots anytime soon right now. So just one day at a time.”
Morgan has scored 121 goals in 211 USWNT caps, good for fifth in program history. She was top scorer in the NWSL with the San Diego Wave last season, scoring 16 goals in 19 games. This season, she’s scored five goals in 11 games.
Though Morgan may be sticking around, some key USWNT players will not be: Julie Ertz said after the Sweden game that she had played her final match with the national team, while Megan Rapinoe announced before the World Cup that she’d retire following the 2023 NWSL season.
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