![Alex Morgan, shown in March at at Concacaf W Gold Cup match at Snapdragon Stadium, has been left off the U.S. Women’s National Team for the Olympics. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Alex Morgan, shown in March at at Concacaf W Gold Cup match at Snapdragon Stadium, has been left off the U.S. Women’s National Team for the Olympics. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/sut-l-1418927-soccer-0311-kc-016-1.jpg?w=452)
A future she inspired finally overtook veteran soccer star Alex Morgan on Wednesday, when the San Diego Wave FC star was left off the United States’ Olympic roster.
The Americans will head to France next month with several promising forwards who as girls watched Morgan win her first of two Olympic gold medals in 2012 and raise her first of two World Cup trophies in 2015.
Opening the door wider for a U.S. youth movement that will include Wave teammate Jaedyn Shaw, 19, the soon-to-be 35-year-old Morgan suffered an ankle injury two months ago. The injury has been a factor in her goal-less 2024 season, one in which she’s played just 539 minutes.
Although the decision to supplant Morgan produced both surprise and melancholy among many soccer fans, it was the right move by new U.S. Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes.
Simply, it was time to pass the baton.
“Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage,” Morgan, an Encinitas resident, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “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.”
![Alex Morgan played for the United States in last year's World Cup.](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SDWaveMediaDay2023AlexMorgan050-1.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Hayes defended her decision to omit Morgan from the 18-player roster.
“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 I saw first-hand not just her qualities but her professionalism, and her record speaks for itself,” Hayes said. “Second of all, it’s not easy making a decision that there’s only 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers on a roster of 18. So, it was a tough decision, of course, especially considering Alex’s history and record with this team. But I felt that I wanted to go in another direction.”
A quartet of promising forwards ranging from 19 to 26 years in age — Shaw, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson — are all in peak form, as evidenced by their play during the ongoing National Women’s Soccer League season.
Listed also among the forwards, 31-year-old Crystal Dunn of defending NWSL-champion NJ/NY Gotham FC has thrived this season as a wing and midfielder under Spanish coach Juan Carlos Amoros. A defender with the past two World Cup teams who was moved to forward by Hayes in the national team’s recent exhibitions, Dunn brings needed versatility to an American attack that had too much duplication of styles at last summer’s World Cup.
The youngest U.S. roster since 2008 will shine a light on Morgan’s legacy as an ambassador for the women’s game.
In 2012, a generation of youth soccer players witnessed Morgan’s 123rd-minute goal that helped the USA capture Olympic gold in a memorable semifinal win against Canada. It was the first of three Olympics for Morgan.
Go back further, to 2010, and Morgan scored one of the most important goals in the U.S. program’s history. She came off the bench against Italy in the first leg of the World Cup playoff.
Morgan understands the international game better than any of the forwards Hayes chose. But all five are having better seasons in the NWSL.
Rodman, 22, a relentless attacker on offense and defense, has four goals and four assists in 13 games with the Washington Spirit. She has clicked with rookie midfielder Croix Bethune, 23, who was chosen by Hayes as an alternate.
Two-time league MVP Smith, 23, has 10 goals and six assists in 12 games with the Portland Thorns.
Swanson, 26, makes it three speedsters in the group. She has bounced back from a torn knee tendon suffered 17 months ago in attempting a pass to Morgan in a U.S. exhibition match. The Chicago Red Stars’ lead attacker, whose comeback began with two surgeries, has five goals and three assists in 13 games.
![Jade Rose #12 of Canada and Jaedyn Shaw #8 of the United States attempt a header in the first half during the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals at Snapdragon Stadium on March 06, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GettyImages-2064639331-1.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
Like Dunn, Shaw brings needed versatility to the roster. She’s best as an attacking midfielder who can thread passes upfield. But Shaw, drawing upon her two-plus years as Morgan’s teammate, has also shown a knack for making timely, precise runs away from the ball and positioning herself well as a forward.
The left-footed Morgan wrenched her left ankle April 19 when she lost her balance while attempting to pry the ball loose in a scramble against the Orlando Pride goalkeeper. She returned to the lineup May 23, but it wasn’t until June 15 that she logged nearly a full match.
Morgan stands to be fresh and fit after the Olympics, when the Wave (3-5-6) will attempt to make a push for the playoffs under interim coach Paul Buckle.
The last time she was snubbed by the USWNT, Morgan responded well. After not appearing in several exhibitions with the national squad, she led the expansionist Wave to the ’22 playoffs and won the NWSL’s scoring title with 15 goals in 18 matches. She predicted that the long layoff from the national team would suit her well.
She’ll get a chance to re-assert herself Friday, when the Wave face Chicago in Mission Valley.
Morgan, who was added to the U.S. roster in January as a replacement to injured forward Mia Fishel, 23, a Patrick Henry High School product, appeared in just one match under Hayes. The coach took over the American team June 1, two weeks after leading Chelsea to its fifth consecutive title in England’s top league.
As expected, Hayes selected Wave defender Naomi Girma for the roster. In Hayes’ first match, she awarded the captain’s armband to Girma, 24, to close out the match.