Tag: Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan’s tearful retirement video included a pregnancy announcement

USWNT star Alex Morgan is hanging up her cleats — but not before one last game.

Soccer star Alex Morgan is officially hanging up her cleats and calling it a career — and a stellar one at that — but not before playing one more game when her San Diego Wave FC takes on the North Carolina Courage on Sunday.

In an emotional video posted on her social channels, the two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist said she had a feeling “in my heart and soul” at the beginning of the year that this would be her last season. And she seems at peace with it.

“I have so much clarity about this decision, and I am so happy to be able to finally tell you,” Morgan says in the video. “It has been a long time coming, and this decision wasn’t easy.”

But she also noted that this was not the retirement video and announcement she expected to make, sharing that her daughter, Charlie, is going to be a big sister because Morgan is pregnant.

“As unexpected as this came, we are so overjoyed,” Morgan said. “To me, family means everything.”

https://twitter.com/alexmorgan13/status/1831709310436700386

After making her debut with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2010, Morgan is now No. 5 in USWNT history with 123 goals in 224 games. The 35-year-old player, however, was not part of the team’s 2024 Paris Olympics roster.

More from Morgan’s tearful retirement video:

“Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. And I gave everything to this sport. And what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of. Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all.

“And I did just that: I’m giving my all every single day on the field. And I did that — giving my all in the relentless push for global investment in women’s sports because we deserve that; giving my all in my various businesses beyond the soccer fields; and giving my all as a mom to my daughter, Charlie.

“Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player. And it just made me immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now. We’re changing lives, and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. And I’m proud in the hand I had in making that happen, in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”

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Why Alex Morgan is not on the USWNT Olympic soccer roster

It was the end of an era for the USWNT.

When the U.S. women’s national team takes the field on Thursday for its Paris Olympics opener against Zambia, it will be doing so without one of the biggest stars in program history.

Ever since making her senior USWNT debut in 2010, Alex Morgan has been a mainstay in the U.S. attack. She scored 123 goals for the U.S. and helped lead the USWNT to an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and two World Cup titles. But when newly hired head coach Emma Hayes announced her roster for the Paris Olympics, Morgan was the noticeable exclusion.

Morgan, who turned 35 in July, has seen a drop in form the past few years. That — along with smaller Olympic roster — forced Hayes to make a tough decision with Morgan. Hayes explained the process via USA TODAY Sports:

“First off, I want to talk about what an amazing player and human that Alex Morgan has been. I’ve only had one opportunity to work with her in the last camp and saw firsthand not just her qualities but her professionalism. Her record speaks for itself.

“It was not easy making a decision. There are 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers on a roster of 18. It was a tough decision, especially considering Alex’s record and history with this team. I felt wanted to go in another direction and selected other players.”

Hayes correctly opted to favor the USWNT’s next generation of dynamic attacking players for this roster (think Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman) over Morgan. The USWNT legend also was not asked to be an alternate for the Olympic squad.

It’s the end of an era — that’s for sure.

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Morgan goes on Italian vacation with O’Hara after USWNT Olympic snub

The USWNT striker made the most of some unexpected down time.

Alex Morgan wanted to be in France right now, but it seems like Italy wasn’t a terrible backup option.

Morgan was left off the U.S. women’s national team Olympic roster, ending a ending a run of seven straight major tournaments with the national team.

While the USWNT touched down in France this week ahead of its Olympics opener against Zambia on Thursday, Morgan had some unexpected down time.

The San Diego Wave striker appeared to make the most of it, posting pictures on Instagram of a vacation to Italy alongside her husband Servando Carrasco, former USWNT star Kelley O’Hara and her partner Kameryn Stanhouse.

The group seemed to get plenty of quality boating time in, as well as enjoying city exploration and some of Italy’s gastronomic delights.

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NJ/NY Gotham FC defender O’Hara announced in May that she will retire at the end of the 2024 NWSL season.

While the NWSL takes a break from league play during the Olympics, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup kicks off on Friday night.

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Michigan Attorney General uses tortured Alex Morgan analogy to pressure Joe Biden

One of these things is not like the other

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining the growing ranks of Democrats calling on Joe Biden to step aside, but has become the first to do so using a tortured U.S. women’s national team analogy.

Biden has been under increasing pressure to not seek a second term as U.S. president after a disastrous debate against challenger Donald Trump last month.

Pressure has been building on Biden to make way ahead of November’s election, with some Democrats hoping a late switch will help stave off Trump’s return to the presidency.

Nessel appears to be among that group but rather than simply coming out and saying it, she instead posted a coded message on Sunday night that attempted to draw parallels between Biden and USWNT striker Alex Morgan.

“I adore Alex Morgan. One of the greatest of all time. But she’s aged significantly from her prime playing days & gracefully accepted that in order to win the gold it was time to pass the baton,” Nessel said on X.

“No one will ever forget her incredible accomplishments, but Alex just wants what’s best for the team and for America,” she added. “That’s what makes her a true champion.”

Unfortunately for those in Nessel’s camp, there is one key difference between Morgan and Biden. The veteran striker’s Olympic roster omission was entirely not her decision.

By contrast, Biden will be the final arbiter of his own fate, and he appears far from ready to “gracefully” accept that it’s time to pass the baton.

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Press unsatisfied by Hayes’ explanation for Morgan’s Olympic omission

For Press, the coach only provided a “media-trained” answer

Christen Press said she was left unsatisfied by Emma Hayes’ explanation for leaving Alex Morgan off the U.S. women’s national team Olympic roster.

Morgan was not named to Hayes’ 18-player squad last week, marking the first time since the 2008 Olympics the USWNT will enter a major tournament without the striker.

The decision was monumental, but not necessarily a huge surprise. Morgan has just four goals in her last 27 appearances for the USWNT, and hasn’t scored yet for the San Diego Wave in 2024.

But the 35-year-old has also been a valuable contributor for the USWNT this year, providing hold-up play, strong defensive work, veteran leadership and two goals in nine appearances.

Ultimately, Morgan was likely a victim of the 18-player roster size for the Olympics, in contrast to 23 for most major tournaments.

In any case, when it came to her longtime USWNT teammate, Press felt she wanted a bit more from the team’s new head coach.

“I’m sure [Morgan] will get celebrated and get her flowers, but it never feels good to have someone who’s so important to the program have this sour taste in the end,” Press said on The Re-CAP Show.

“From a footballing standpoint I think I really wanted a clear reason why. We talked about this, and maybe we got one, but I think Emma gave like the most media-trained answer ever.

“She just kept saying, ‘Well, I picked other players and other players are awesome,’ and it’s like, that’s true, but why did you not select her? I wanted to hear why. And if the reason was form, like, ‘My other players are scoring and Alex is not,’ then that’s the reason.

“So I felt like we just kind of got left hanging and we can all just assume it’s because of club form, she’s been hanging onto injury, or maybe that [Hayes] didn’t value having someone on the roster that had won [the Olympics] before as much as she valued someone that she really felt like she could sub in and make a difference in a game. But I was just left being like, ‘Well what did that phone call sound like? What was the real reason?'”

What did Hayes say about Morgan?

After announcing her Olympic roster, Hayes leaned on the small roster sizes to help justify her exclusion of Morgan.

“There are only 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers on a roster of 18, so it was a tough decision, especially considering Alex’s history and record with this team,” Hayes said on a call with the media. “But I felt that I wanted to go in another direction and selected other players.”

Pressed further, Hayes also implied that Morgan’s lack of versatility in comparison to some of her competitors for a roster spot also played a factor.

“We have a tight turnaround between games, so of course having players on the roster that could play more than one position mattered with squad depth,” Hayes said.

“But I also think there are players on the roster in the forward areas performing well, and the decision to take those players was one that we certainly deliberated over. But I think it’s a balanced roster. I’ve considered all the factors that we’re going to need throughout the Olympics.”

Tobin Heath, another longtime USWNT teammate of Morgan and the co-host of The Re-CAP Show, said that she felt the Olympics could be an opportunity for the team’s younger attackers to step out of Morgan’s shadow.

“If you look at this forward line, Emma also could have felt like [Morgan] had already kind of had that time with this group. Like she had a World Cup with this group. She got to impart them with her experience in that type of tournament,” Heath said.

“I think there is a big shadow on all of the attackers when Alex Morgan’s around. Maybe in a lot of ways, this is the next step for this young group of attackers to actually have to emerge.”

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‘There is so much work to be done’ – Wave star Morgan responds to Ellis accusations

Multiple former Wave employees accused the club of fostering an abusive culture

San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan has responded after multiple former club employees accused the NWSL team of fostering an environment that was detrimental to mental health.

Former Wave video and creative manager Brittany Alvarado released a lengthy statement on Wednesday accusing club president Jill Ellis of creating a culture of abuse at the club.

“[Ellis] has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda, fostering an environment where abusive behaviors among her subordinates was allowed to flourish,” Alvarado said on X.

Alvarado added that Ellis “has been nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

In a statement, the Wave categorically denied the accusations, calling them “inaccurate and defamatory,” while adding that the club would be pursuing all legal avenues.

Jenny Chuang, another former Wave employee, responded to Alvarado’s post by saying: “I was placed on suicide watch during my tenure with the Wave in 2022. I begged for help while my mental health declined rapidly.”

The accusations from Alvarado and Chuang were followed by a similar statement from Bernadette O’Donnell, the club’s former senior communications manager and Abigail Lozano, a former community relations coordinator for the Wave.

“By the end, I had no hope for my life and didn’t want to be alive anymore most of the time,” O’Donnell said.

“After experiencing the toxic work environment enabled by leadership, my mental health quickly deteriorated,” Lozano said. “This resulted in my resignation, to protect myself.”

In the wake of the statements from her club’s former employees, Morgan responded with a post of her own on X.

Morgan and Ellis have a long relationship, as the striker was a key player during the Englishwoman’s five-year tenure as U.S. women’s national team head coach. Ellis then made Morgan the Wave’s signature acquisition ahead of the club’s inaugural NWSL season in 2022.

Notably, Morgan appeared to concede that there were at least some problematic elements in the team’s culture, concluding by saying: “It is clear that there is so much work to be done.”

“I am disappointed to hear about the allegations made by multiple former Wave FC employees today,” Morgan said.

“As players, we have worked hard to build a team that is surrounded by an inclusive, positive and safe environment.

“But it’s important to me that we are creating that environment for both players AND staff throughout the entire organization.  Equity in the workplace is something I have and will continue to advocate for.

“I want to be proud of what we are building at the Wave but it is clear that there is so much work to be done.”

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‘I’ve been in her shoes’ – Donovan ‘heartbroken’ for Morgan after Olympics snub

“For me, it was about two weeks of being really depressed and sad”

U.S. men’s national team legend Landon Donovan knows what Alex Morgan is going through right now.

U.S. women’s national team coach Emma Hayes dropped Morgan from her Olympics roster on Wednesday, ending a run of seven straight major tournaments for the USWNT legend.

For many, seeing Morgan dropped for the Olympics was reminiscent of another monumental moment in American soccer history that took place 10 years ago.

In a decision that still reverberates to this day, Jürgen Klinsmann dropped Donovan from his 2014 World Cup roster despite Donovan’s status as a USMNT legend and his strong form leading up to the tournament.

Though there are some differences — Klinsmann had a larger roster to work with and Donovan was in better form in 2014 than Morgan is now — there are obvious parallels between the two situations.

For Donovan, who spoke to USA TODAY’s Mackenzie Salmon as part of his partnership with Zevo Bug Spray, one similarity stands out in a major way.

“I’ve been in her shoes and it’s a horrible, horrible feeling,” Donovan said.

“Ultimately, in our sport and in most team sports, one person ends up making a decision on your career sometimes. And that’s the reality — we all know it, we all signed up for it. So it’s not woe is me, but that is the reality and if one person decides that you’re not going, you don’t go and so that’s the difficult part.”

Though Donovan didn’t get into the specifics of Hayes’ decision, he couldn’t help but feel for a fellow legend of American soccer.

“I’m really just sad and heartbroken for Alex,” Donovan said. “I’ve been in those shoes. She has done so much for our women’s national team, and for U.S. soccer in general. And I just hope this doesn’t define her. I hope she doesn’t define herself by this.

“It’s going to be a hard pill to swallow for sure. But she’s a really strong woman and I know she’ll be OK. It’s just, this is going to be a hard time for her.”

Thinking back to his own feelings from a decade prior, Donovan attempted to give Morgan some advice as she processes a difficult blow.

“I would say it will pass,” the 42-year-old said. “For me, it was about two weeks of being really depressed and sad. Because you’re realizing in that moment that your career with the national team is coming to an end. And you didn’t get to decide it — someone else told you that it was over. And so that’s really difficult. You don’t have any control over that, and that’s hard for her.”

Watch Donovan’s interview with USA TODAY

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Alex Morgan was left off the USWNT roster for the Paris Olympics and fans were stunned

This is stunning. No Alex Morgan at the Olympics.

Alex Morgan has been a fixture on the USWNT for a long time, from World Cups to Olympics. At 34 years old, it’s not like she’s elderly in soccer years.

Yet she’s not going to the Paris Olympics with a team of 18 players announced on Wednesday, a shocking turn of events for the all-time great.

It could be because the roster is smaller for the Olympic tournament, so the players might need to be versatile. It could be because she’s not necessarily in the best of form in the NWSL, and has dealt with an injury.

Whatever it is, soccer fans are stunned:

Morgan tweeted this after the announcement:

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End of an era: Morgan dropped from USWNT Olympics roster

The USWNT will enter a major tournament without Morgan for the first time since the 2008 Olympics

For the first time since the 2008 Olympics, the U.S. women’s national team will enter a major tournament without Alex Morgan.

Morgan was not named to Emma Hayes’ 18-player Olympic roster on Wednesday, ending a run of seven straight major tournaments with the USWNT.

In Morgan’s absence, Hayes named five forwards to her squad: Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, Jaedyn Shaw, Mallory Swanson, and Crystal Dunn.

After the USWNT roster was released, Morgan reacted with a post on social media.

“Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage,” she said.

“This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest. In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country. LFG.”

Since making her debut at the 2011 World Cup, Morgan has become one of the most prolific and successful strikers in USWNT history.

The 34-year-old has scored 123 international goals (fifth in program history) while earning 224 caps, winning two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal.

Morgan has featured prominently for the USWNT in 2024, experiencing an upturn in form after she was initially left off the USWNT W Gold Cup roster.

Named as an injury replacement after Mia Fishel’s torn ACL, the veteran striker broke an 11-game scoring drought with goals in back-to-back games, then started the rest of the way as the USWNT won the tournament.

Morgan has played in nine of the USWNT’s 10 games in 2024, but hasn’t scored since the W Gold Cup. Between 2023 and 2024, Morgan has scored just four goals in 24 appearances for the USWNT.

The striker has also dealt with an ankle injury this season that saw her miss a month of action with the San Diego Wave. Morgan has not scored in the NWSL this season in eight total appearances.

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