Morgan readies to take on world
Former Cal standout, now 29, prepares to lead U.S. in World Cup and Olympics
Alex Morgan darted into the box as Mallory Pugh’s perfectly timed cross sailed toward the goal. Before the ball could hit the ground, Morgan drove her right foot through it and slammed it into the back of the net.
Morgan’s goal in the 39th minute was the difference in the Nov. 13 game, a 1-0 win for the United States over host Scotland, and capped off a sensational 2018. Morgan finished with 18 goals in 19 games and was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year for the second time in her career.
She didn’t waste any time savoring the moment.
A few weeks later, Morgan stepped onto a quiet field in Los Angeles with Beast Mode Soccer founder David Copeland-Smith and handed him a list of things she wanted to address in the offseason. Then she got to work.
A marquee name for nearly a decade, Morgan, 29, has re-emerged in the past year and a half. She scored seven goals in her final seven games for the national team in 2017 before enjoying one of the best seasons of her career in 2018. She has 98 goals in 153 national-team appearances and has won both a World Cup title and an Olympic gold medal.
She’s poised to step into
the spotlight again when women’s soccer takes center stage with the World Cup this summer in France — and then next year in the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The U.S. begins its final preparations for the World Cup on Saturday when it plays host France in the first game of a 10-game “Countdown to the Cup” tour. The eighth game of the series will bring the national team to Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for a May 12 matchup against South Africa.
The World Cup begins June 7 in Paris.
“We have this amazing opportunity of the World Cup and the Olympics back to back and now is the time to make sure, mentally and physically, we’re as prepared as possible,” Morgan said. “I feel like I personally have this opportunity to continue to evolve and grow as a player, even though I’m on the higher side of my 20s, because I feel like I missed out on a lot during my mid-20s.”
Morgan burst onto the world scene at the 2011 World Cup, just six months after graduating from Cal as the third-highest scorer in program history.
A speedy 21-year-old with a knack for finding goals off the bench, Morgan quickly became a fan favorite during her first World Cup. In 2012, she won her first U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year award after she scored an astounding 28 goals (with 21 assists). Her most memorable goal was the semifinal gamewinner against Canada in the London Olympics, in which the U.S. won gold. By the end of the year, she was the undeniable face of U.S. women’s soccer.
Morgan’s celebrity status has only grown since then. She has secured numerous endorsements, twice modeled for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, appeared on the cover of the FIFA video game and has written a New York Times best-selling children’s book series.
“Anytime we turned up at the airport or hotel, there would be somebody wanting an autograph. Anytime we were at games, she’d be the person the media wanted to talk to,” said Tom Sermanni, who coached the national team in 2013-14 and Morgan’s club team, the Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League, from 2016 through ’18. “She’s able to deal with all that stuff without it impacting her training or preparation.”
Still, Morgan’s off-field celebrity has sometimes eclipsed her performance on the field, where injuries repeatedly have threatened to derail her career.
In October 2013, she was misdiagnosed with a left ankle sprain and returned to action too soon. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a stress reaction in her talus bone, a frustrating injury that could have been avoided if she hadn’t returned prematurely.
For seven months, Morgan was forced to rest her ankle. She could barely walk. She couldn’t exercise. All she could do was watch her teammates from the sideline, a boot on her foot and crutches at her side.
“It was potentially careerthreatening,” Sermanni said. “It took a lot of patience and dedicated work for her to actually come back from that injury. For me, that said a huge amount about her character and her focus as an athlete.”
The injury woes would continue.
She sprained the same ankle in October 2014. She then suffered a knee injury ahead of the 2015 World Cup and was forced to settle for a more limited role in the tournament. She played in all seven games as the U.S. won the title, but was far from 100 percent.
“She was a really important player for us at the last World Cup, even though people will say she wasn’t at her best,” said Meghan Klingenberg, a former starting defender for the U.S. and current Fox Sports analyst. “But I think this year her role will be even more important because she’s now playing consistent minutes, getting consistent practice.”
The injuries prompted Morgan to re-evaluate her routine and diet. Since 2015, she has spent at least 30 minutes warming up on her own in the gym before every practice. Last year, she moved to a plant-based diet, believing it would have a positive impact on her performance and recovery.
“My body isn’t one that can bounce back from things,” Morgan said. “I’ve had ACL history. I’ve had ankle injuries. I had a knee issue going into the 2015 World Cup. I feel like that’s all part of the journey and it reminds me of how grateful I am in this moment.”
On a spring morning in 2017, Morgan arrived at the Olympique Lyonnais training facility in France more than an hour before practice. It was quiet as she walked through the locker room and made her way into an empty gym to run through an extended warm-up.
That became Morgan’s regular routine during her six months playing for French powerhouse Lyon. She was the first to arrive to practice and last to leave. Her teammates jokingly would ask if she ever went home.
The coaches who have worked with Morgan throughout her career have witnessed that work ethic.
“She’s a dedicated professional,” Sermanni said. “She’s very focused on doing things well and making sure that the work that she does is real quality.”
Cal coach Neil McGuire still remembers Morgan running through individual drills after practice with the Bears’ coaching staff even as she was on the cusp of reaching the national team.
“She’s a ferocious competitor and she’s prepared to outwork anyone that competes with her,” McGuire said. “I’ve always had the utmost respect for Alex and her desire to be the best player in the world.”
Following a strong 2016 — during which she scored 17 goals for the national team and was named the CONCACAF Female Player of the Year (for the third time) — Morgan didn’t have to leave the U.S. and join Lyon, but she wanted to challenge herself against two of the world’s top forwards: Ada Hegerberg and Eugenie Le Sommer. At Lyon, Morgan grew into a more versatile attacker and proved that she could be just as effective as a wing as she had been as a central forward.
“I was able to explore a new style of soccer, make myself uncomfortable and challenge myself in a new way,” Morgan said. “It helped me evolve and learn something new later in my career.”
Eight years after her stunning debut as a substitute at the 2011 World Cup and four years after being menaced by injury at the 2015 tournament, Morgan has the chance this summer in France to show the world she is as potent a scoring threat as she’s ever been in what could be the biggest tournament of her career.
“Alex is going to play a huge role in the World Cup,” Klingenberg said. “When it comes down to it, Alex is able to score. She’s an incredible finisher. I’m not sure any other team has a player quite like her.”