Alex Morgan in Dec. 2018. Photo by: Cooper Neill via Getty Images.
June 7, 2019 — It’s only right to highlight a woman from the US FIFA World Cup team as my feature females this month! (Who are predicted to win it all by the way.) The World Cup begins on Friday at 12:00 PST, luckily the US team starts on Tuesday, so they will have some time to prep for their match against Thailand.
Morgan played competitive sports her entire life but didn’t participate in organized soccer until she was 14 years old. After high school, Morgan attended UC Berkley where she led the team to the NCAA Tournament throughout her four years. Morgan was tied for third place at Berkley for scoring, but would’ve most likely hit number one if she didn’t miss numerous games her senior year to play for the national team.
Morgan was the first overall pick in the 2011 Women’s Professional Soccer draft by the Western New York Flash. That same year, she was on the U.S. women’s national team in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. (Biography.com)
In 2011 the 22-year-old forward Alex Morgan made her name by being the youngest player on the US World Cup roster. She scored in the semi-final against France and again in the finals against Japan. Unfortunately USA lost in a shoot out. In 2012 Morgan was chosen to play on the USA Olympic team in London and faced Japan again in the finals. The women won 2-1 in front of 80,300 viewers, the largest soccer crowd in Olympic history.
Morgan is married to Servando Carrasco, the two met their first year at UC Berkley. Carrasco plays midfield for the LA Galaxy and admires the women Morgan is.
This quote from Carrasco is so sweet and highlights the strengths in her game and I can’t get enough: “She was very raw,” he said. “Clearly, she had the athletic ability. She was the fastest player on the team. She had an amazing left foot. She could strike a ball on a rope. And then she started to add things to her game, brick by brick. She got better tactically, she started watching more soccer, her first touch got better. … She’s not just a finisher now. She’s not just a person that builds her game off of her speed or off of her athleticism. She’s always looking for a challenge.” (mlssoccer.com)
Morgan is such a great female role model. Her passion for the sport has led to a universal growth and appreciation for the game, she’s pretty close to being unstoppable. She’s created an image for girls of all ages to admire and look up to. In 2011 when she went to the World Cup I was obsessed with her myself! I played soccer when I was younger and wasn’t very good, but oh well.
She was also featured in Time Magazine as one of the ‘100 Most Influential in the World,’ this year; her piece was written by Mia Hamm, talk about exceptional. Morgan also scored her 100th goal this year:
She’s playing the best soccer in her career and I have no doubt she will bring her fire to the field and win the WC for the USA Women’s team once again.
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