Why isn’t USWNT star Alex Morgan playing at the Paris Olympics?
ALEX Morgan is considered one of the best, most famous, and richest women's soccer stars in the nation, if not the world.
Morgan's dominance over the last 15 years makes first-year head coach Emma Hayes' decision to exclude her from the USWNT roster – the team heading over to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics – all the more shocking.
Who is USWNT star Alex Morgan?
Alexandra Morgan Cassasco, born Alexandra Patricia Morgan, is a professional soccer player.
Morgan, who was born on July 2, 1989, in San Dimas, California, is currently a striker for – and the captain of – the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club, the San Diego Wave FC.
She is also a member of the United States national team (USWNT), which she co-captained with Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe from 2018 to 2020.
From 2007 to 2010, Morgan played for the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears.
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After graduating early, she went on to play for several teams. including the West Coast FC, the California Storm, Pali Blues, Western New York Flash, and the Seattle Sounders Women.
From 2013 to 2015, Morgan competed for the Portland Thorns FC, before taking year-long stints with the Orlando Pride and Lyon FC, a French team.
She then returned to compete for the Orlando Pride between 2017 and 2020, and again in 2021, after briefly playing with the Tottenham Hotspur.
In 2015, she became one of three women to grace the cover of FIFA video games and was ranked as the richest women's soccer player.
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According to Celebrity Net Worth, Morgan has a net worth of around $3 million.
The majority of her income likely stems from endorsement deals – Morgan has signed deals with Nike, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Chobani.
On December 31, 2014, Morgan married Servando Carrasco, a former professional soccer defensive midfielder.
The duo, who met and began dating in college, welcomed a child together – a daughter named Charlie – on May 7, 2020.
"I'm able to give everything to the sport and my teams, but when I go home, I'm not dwelling on whether I had a bad training or bad game. I just have to be a mom, and tend to my child's needs instead of overanalyzing things,” she told People in July 2023.
Why isn't Alex Morgan playing at the Paris Olympics?
Despite Alex Morgan being the USWNT's active leading goal scorer, she was not selected to be a member of the 18-player roster competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The team, led by head coach Emma Hayes – her first year in the role, and her first time heading to the Olympics as the head coach of the USWNT – was revealed on Wednesday, June 26.
"Making an Olympic roster is a huge privilege and an honor and there is no denying that it was an extremely competitive process among the players and that there were difficult choices, especially considering how hard everyone has worked over the past 10 months,” said Hayes, as reported by US Soccer.
“Choosing an 18-player roster plus alternates involved many considerations, but I am excited for the group we have selected."
"I’m looking forward to building on the work from [the] last camp as we head into the send-off matches and then onto France."
"These are great opportunities for us to continue to show the progress we are making," Hayes added.
While Morgan's absence was noticed immediately, it doesn't appear to be an intentional snub.
"First off, I want to talk about what an amazing player and human that Alex Morgan has been," Hayes said during a news conference after the roster was released, as reported by USA Today.
"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," she added.
"It was not easy making a decision," Hayes said.
"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 I wanted to go in another direction and selected other players," she added.
Just eight players who were on the US's roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made the cut.
The complete roster includes:
- Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher
- Defenders: Emily Sonnett, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox, Tierna Davidson, Jenna Nighswonger, and Casey Kreuger
- Midfielders: Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Korbin Albert, Catarina Macario, and Sam Coffey
- Forwards: Crystal Dunn, Jaedyn Shaw, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, and Sophia Smith
- Alternates: Jane Campbell (goalkeeper), Hal Hershfelt (midfielder), Croix Bethune (midfielder), and Lynn Williams (forward)
Alex Morgan responded to being left off of the roster on social media, sharing her thoughts on X.
"Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage," Morgan tweeted.
"This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest."
Morgan then showed off her sportsmanship by giving her former team a shoutout.
"In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country."
"LFG," she added, an acronym for "Let's F***ing Go."
How many Olympic medals has Alex Morgan won?
Alex Morgan shouldn't have too much FOMO, or fear of missing out, as she's been to three previous Olympics.
Morgan has earned two Olympic medals, including a gold and bronze medal.
Morgan's first appearance at the Olympics was during the 2012 London Olympics, where her last-minute goal against Canada in extra time sent the US Women's National Team to the finals.
The USWNT ended up securing a victory against Japan, and Morgan earned her first gold medal.
Morgan's second appearance at the Olympics, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, wasn't as successful as her first.
Despite scoring a goal in the team's opening match against New Zealand, the US was knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-final round, losing a penalty shootout to Sweden.
Despite several delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Morgan was named to the 18-player USWNT roster in June 2021, gearing up for the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Following the team's win against Australia on August 5, 2021, Morgan and the rest of the USWNT secured a third-place victory and took home bronze medals.
While Morgan won't be competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she'll likely be cheering on the USWNT as they add to their medal count.
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The USWNT have secured medals in six of the seven Olympic ceremonies since 1996, including:
- 1996 Summer Olympics: Atlanta, Georgia – Gold Medal
- 2000 Summer Olympics: Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne, Australia – Silver Medal
- 2004 Summer Olympics: Greece – Gold Medal
- 2008 Summer Olympics: Beijing, China – Gold Medal
- 2012 Summer Olympics: London, United Kingdom – Gold Medal
- 2020 Summer Olympics: Tokyo, Japan – Bronze Medal