Tag: Alex Morgan

USWNT star Morgan invests in new Woods-McIlroy golf league

Morgan and her husband Servando Carrasco have joined the ownership group of Los Angeles Golf Club

Alex Morgan has announced she and her husband Servando Carrasco have joined the ownership group of Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC), a franchise in TGL, the new golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Billed as a “tech-infused golf league,” TGL will begin in January 2024 in conjunction with the PGA Tour, with matches to take place in prime time on Monday nights.

LAGC was confirmed as the league’s inaugural team, and features an ownership group that includes Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

That franchise has since been joined by teams in New York, Boston and Atlanta, each with high-profile owners (Steve Cohen, Fenway Sports Group and Arthur Blank, respectively). Two more franchises are set to be announced before the TGL begins.

Morgan has taken up golf in recent years, and even starred in a golf-themed Super Bowl commercial this year for Michelob Ultra.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxyB9zPLY2M/?img_index=1

TGL is aiming to attract younger audiences to golf, and will feature players hitting shots into a virtual screen before moving to “a data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused, short-game complex.”

The matches will take place at a custom-built venue in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

“We all know what it’s like to be in a football stadium or a basketball arena where you can watch every play, every minute of action unfold right in front of you,” Woods said in a release when TGL launched. “It’s something that inherently isn’t possible in traditional golf — and an aspect of TGL that will set it apart and appeal to a new generation of fans.”

TGL will feature six teams with three-player rosters, with 12 pros already confirmed: Woods, McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick.

The inaugural season will feature a 15-match schedule followed by semifinals and a championship game.

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Sophia Smith hits out at NWSL over Alex Morgan fine

The NWSL fined Morgan on Wednesday for “comments detrimental to the league made on social media”

Sophia Smith has said the NWSL’s “priorities are all messed up” after the league issued a fine to Alex Morgan for her criticism of referees.

Morgan took to social media on Monday to protest a rough challenge that went uncalled during the San Diego Wave’s defeat to the Kansas City Current over the weekend.

The striker was taken out in the box by a tackle from defender Stine Ballisager, which was deemed to be clean after a VAR review.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Morgan said Ballisager’s tackle could have left her seriously injured.

“In what world is this not a penalty and red card, or even foul? Completely reckless and the leg going in for the tackle doesn’t even get a ball when I cut her?” Morgan said. “Just glad I saw her coming and didn’t plant on that leg or I’d 100% not be walking today.”

In response to Morgan’s criticism, the league issued Morgan a fine on Wednesday for “comments detrimental to the league made on social media.”

That fine didn’t sit well with Portland Thorns star Smith, who stuck up for her teammate on the U.S. women’s national team.

According to Smith, Morgan’s fine was “backwards” and showed the NWSL’s priorities were not where they should be.

The NWSL has long been criticized for failing to better protect players on the field, with a lack of adequate training and pay for referees among the issues hampering player safety.

Regardless, it seems like Smith could now be the next player to get fined.

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Wave star Morgan fumes over ‘completely reckless’ tackle in Current defeat

Morgan said if she had planted her leg, she wouldn’t be walking today

San Diego Wave star Alex Morgan was furious over a no-call in her side’s 2-1 defeat to the Kansas City Current on Saturday, saying she wouldn’t be walking if she’d planted her leg on a challenge from defender Stine Ballisager.

With the Current up in first-half stoppage time, Morgan took the ball in on goal and attempted a cutback. Ballisager, sensing her chance to win the ball, slid in hard and took the ball and Morgan simultaneously. After a VAR check, the officials deemed the Danish international’s challenge to be clean.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Morgan vehemently disagreed.

“In what world is this not a penalty and red card, or even foul? Completely reckless and the leg going in for the tackle doesn’t even get a ball when I cut her?” she wrote. “Just glad I saw her coming and didn’t plant on that leg or I’d 100% not be walking today.”

Morgan would stay in the game but limped off the pitch at full time, with Wave manager Casey Stoney saying after the game she had no update on the star forward’s status.

The match also represented the latest scoreless outing for Morgan, who has now failed to find the net since May. Speaking to reporters, Stoney backed the U.S. women’s national team forward to turn things around.

“You don’t go from being a world-class striker to being a poor player overnight,” Stoney said. “She’s a fantastic player. She’s still a world-class striker and the goals will come. Her contributions this season for us have been magnificent even when she’s not scoring goals, so keeping her in a good space is important.”

Morgan won the NWSL Golden Boot last season by scoring 15 goals. This season, the 34-year-old has scored five times in NWSL play.

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Alex Morgan brushes off retirement talk after USWNT’s World Cup elimination

Alex Morgan has no plans to call it quits right now.

The U.S. Women’s National Team’s disappointing Round of 16 exit from the 2023 World Cup in many ways marked the end of an era.

One of the team’s stars and leaders, Megan Rapinoe, already announced that this World Cup would be her last. Following the loss to Sweden on penalty kicks Sunday morning, Julie Ertz also announced her retirement.

Add in the loss of Carli Lloyd, who retired in 2021 following Team USA’s World Cup win in 2019, and many of the squad’s longtime fixtures won’t be around the next time it competes on the international stage.

Following the loss, all eyes turned to Alex Morgan. The 34-year-old striker has played for the USWNT since 2010 and captained it in its last two World Cup runs. But following a goalless performance in this year’s tournament, some questioned if she would follow in the footsteps of some of her veteran teammates.

She put that speculation to rest in an interview with ESPN following the loss.

“I’m not planning to hang up my boots anytime soon right now, ” Morgan said when asked if this World Cup would be her last. “So, just one day at a time now.”

Though it isn’t an outright commitment to playing in the 2027 World Cup — the host nation for which hasn’t been determined — it doesn’t sound like Morgan has any plans to slow down after the back-to-back defending champions bowed out in heartbreaking fashion.

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Morgan: I’m not planning to hang up my boots anytime soon

Morgan started all four games of the World Cup but failed to find the net

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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USWNT player ratings: Defensive spine shines in gut-punch penalty kick defeat

The USWNT finally played like themselves, but soccer can be cruel

Soccer has always been a cruel sport, and today it came calling for the U.S. women’s national team.

After three underwhelming performances in the group stage, the USWNT finally looked like themselves against Sweden, bossing one of the best teams in this World Cup.

Unfortunately, they found goalkeeper Zećira Mušović having one of the games of her life, and when she wasn’t making a big save, the errant finishing that has plagued this team appeared again, and the result was a penalty kick elimination after a scoreless 120 minutes.

It was a heartbreaker for the U.S., who missed a shot in the shootout that would have seen them advance, and then had to watch Sweden’s winning kick require a VAR check to reveal that the ball had crossed the line by a nearly imperceptible margin.

Still, when it comes to ratings, this was by some margin the best performance from the USWNT at this World Cup as a team, and for many players as individuals.

As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 final.

USWNT player ratings: Lack of ideas as U.S. barely survives Portugal

Lots of not-great, and some quite bad!

The U.S. women’s national team, by a margin of about three inches, survived a feisty Portugal side to get through to the knockout round of the World Cup.

That’s about all the good news there is to discuss. The USWNT were totally unable to solve the Portuguese midfield diamond throughout a troubling 0-0 draw, struggling for possession and also lacking chances to break out in transition.

The stats may show the USWNT holding a 17-6 shot advantage, and this is another game in which a U.S. opponent were held without a shot on goal. However, anyone that watched the match would be able to tell you that the Portuguese troubled the U.S. from start to finish, seeing the game’s best chance end with Ana Capeta hitting the post deep in stoppage time.

It was a dispiriting and disappointing showing in which no player really looked like they’d been given a platform to be their best. If the USWNT is to go on and make history as the first team to win three consecutive World Cups, this has to be by far their worst performance of the tournament.

Here’s a breakdown from a game in which no one looked particularly good.

As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 final.

Morgan: USWNT not happy with Netherlands draw

The fate of Group E is in the balance after the 1-1 result

Alex Morgan has admitted that the U.S. women’s national team is “not happy” after only managing to draw the Netherlands 1-1 in their second game of the World Cup.

The U.S. fell behind midway through a subpar first half after Jill Roord found the net with a low drive from the top of the box.

Fueled by Lindsey Horan, the USWNT stormed back in the second half but still only managed to draw in a result that leaves Group E hanging in the balance.

The USWNT is level on points with Netherlands atop the group, sitting in first place due to a two-goal advantage in goal differential. But with the Netherlands facing Vietnam in their final group match, a heavy win would put the pressure on the U.S. to follow suit against Portugal.

Morgan was well aware of the repercussions of the USWNT’s failure to win against the Dutch, and could not hide her frustration with the result.

“We knew [the equalizer] was coming. We knew it was inevitable and not to get the second one, I think it’s a bit unlucky,” Morgan told ESPN.

“We played in their half almost the entire second half. I don’t even think they had really dangerous opportunities in the second half. So just to see us come into the locker room, regroup and come out in the second half and put on that display, I’m really proud of the group.

“But yeah, we’re not happy if we’re not getting the win. Obviously, it puts first place of the group up for grabs now. So we have to close the job when we play Portugal in a few days.”

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USWNT player ratings: Disappointing showing vs. Netherlands ends in draw

A good start and finish sandwiched some worrying stuff for the USWNT

The U.S. women’s national team was far from its best against the Netherlands, struggling for a long spell in the middle of the match before recovering for a 1-1 draw.

Jill Roord’s goal on the first shot conceded all tournament by the USWNT deflated the group, and until Dutch star Daniëlle van de Donk clattered into club teammate Lindsey Horan, it was starting to get hard to see a way back in for the favored Americans.

However, Horan — after a fairly heated argument with van de Donk in the seconds that followed — powered home a header, and the U.S. took the game over for the final half-hour.

The good news? Those final minutes were the “real” USWNT. The bad news? They arrived for a reason the team can’t control, and since a winner didn’t arrive (nor did any substitutions after Rose Lavelle’s entry at halftime), the flaws on the day aren’t going to be papered over by three points.

With all that in mind, let’s dig into who delivered, and who didn’t.

As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:

Our scale:

  • 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been been able to play at this level.
  • 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
  • 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 final.