US Women’s National Team (USWNT) striker Alex Morgan, 34, is among the greatest stars in ladies’s soccer, already an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time World Cup winner.
The American is heading into her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup and ranks within the high 10 in USWNT historical past in objectives, assists and multi-goal video games.
Morgan first caught the attention a decade in the past on the 2011 World Cup in Germany when she was the youngest participant within the American squad however, undaunted by the worldwide highlight, scored in each the semi-final and closing because the US completed runners-up to Japan.
Since then, she has gone from power to power, shrugging off her outdated nickname of “Baby Horse” to be described as a “full-on stallion” by her worldwide teammate Megan Rapinoe.
Morgan has grow to be an icon and an inspiration to younger ladies world wide and can also be a New York Times Best-Selling creator and movie star, enjoying herself in Alex and Me (2018), even serving with the US State Department on a diplomatic mission to Tanzania in 2017.
She has not solely prevented controversy, nonetheless, having been kicked out of the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World resort in Bay Lake, Florida, in October 2017 together with a bunch of pals mentioned to be “highly impaired” and “verbally aggressive”, an incident for which she swiftly apologised.
Morgan additionally raised eyebrows on the 2019 World Cup in France when she scored in opposition to England within the semi-final and celebrated with a tea-sipping celebration, showing to mock her opposition, though she has since claimed the gesture was misunderstood.
Born within the California suburb of Diamond Bar close to San Dimas on 2 July 1989, Morgan was a multi-sport athlete identified for her pace at highschool and didn’t start enjoying soccer completely till she was 14 and joined native membership aspect Cypress Elite.
She was quickly enjoying for the Olympic Development Program’s regional and state groups as effectively, which she credit as integral to her growth, and was referred to as as much as the US under-20 ladies’s crew at 17, just for an anterior cruciate ligament damage to set again her progress.
Morgan subsequently attended UC Berkeley, taking a level in Political Economy whereas enjoying for the California Golden Bears from 2007 to 2010, ending her school profession with a powerful haul of 46 objectives.
Turning skilled in 2011, the identical 12 months she introduced her arrival on the World Cup, Morgan performed for Western New York Flash, earlier than transferring to Seattle Sounders for a season, the place she performed with worldwide teammates Hope Solo and Rapinoe, earlier than being transferred once more and spending two years with Portland Thorns FC.
In 2015, she joined Orlando Pride in Florida, the place she has been even since, barring brief spells with Lyon in France in 2017 and Tottenham in England in 2020, the place she made simply 4 appearances however scored twice as she continued her return to match health after taking time away from the sport to provide delivery to her first youngster, a daughter, Charlie Elena Carrasco, on 7 May 2020.
Alex Morgan in motion for Tottenham
(Alex Davidson/Getty)
She subsequently returned to Orlando Pride earlier than signing for San Diego Wave in 2022, scoring a powerful 20 in 28 video games to date.
Her husband, Servando Carrasco, whom she met at college and married in 2014, can also be a footballer, at present enjoying as a defensive midfielder for Fort Lauderdale FC.
Morgan helped Team USA seize gold on the 2012 London Olympics highlighted by her objective within the semi-final win in opposition to Canada and subsequently picked up a bronze on the Tokyo 2020 Games, profitable the 2015 and 2019 World Cups with the USWNT both aspect of these honours.