Learn About The US Soccer Star & World Cup Champ – Hollywood Life
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- Alex Morgan (b. July 2, 1989) is an American soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and 2-time World Cup champ.
- She was named to the 2023 US Women’s National Team, representing the USA in the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.
- Since 2022, she has played for the San Diego Wave in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Alex Morgan is ready for the 2023 World Cup. The 34-year-old forward will fly the Red, White, and Blue as the US Women’s National Team looks to pull off a stunning victory during the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand. For Alex, this is a chance to make history – no national team, men’s or women’s, has ever won three straight World Cups. If the US Women do so, Alex, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz, Alyssa Naeher, and Kelly O’Hara would join Pelé as the only players to win three World Cup titles.
“The pressure’s always there,” Alex told HollywoodLife ahead of the World Cup. “We put it on ourselves. And the rest of the world puts it on us. It’s less about thinking like we’re defending the last two World Cups because it’s a very different team, aside from myself and a couple of others. So it’s a really different team. And so, we have to think that with every World Cup, we’re going at it like it’s our first time.
“It’s a different team, but the mentality stays the same,” she adds. “And that’s what’s been passed down: the mentality of wanting to be the best, of competing and training every single day at the highest level to create that environment. We hold ourselves to a high standard.”
Alex isn’t focused on the “three-peat” and more on just securing the next win. “It’s actually never thrown around with the team,” she said of the term, per USA Today’s Pro Soccer Wire. “It’s thrown around with the media, I think a lot of fans talk about it, but honestly, we have 14 first-timers for the World Cup, and we see this as our own journey. … We’re looking to obviously make history that’d be great to three-peat, but for this team, that’s not in the back of our minds. It’s really just winning each game.”
The USA will have a challenge on its hands in the group stage. They’re in Group E with the Netherlands, the team the USA defeated in the finals of the 2019 World Cup. They also have two countries making their World Cup debuts: Vietnam and Portugal, each of which could pull off an upset if any of the heavyweights are caught napping.
Before she puts on a show down under, here’s what you need to know about her.
Is Alex Morgan Playing In The World Cup 2023?
Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan were named team captains for the U.S. Women’s National Team for the 2023 World Cup in Australia/New Zealand. This marks the 23rd time that Alex has worn the captain’s armband.
Alex, Lindsey, Megan Rapinoe, and Julie Ertz were named to the USWNT, along with (h/t ESPN):
- Forwards: Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Alyssa Thompson, Lynn Williams
- Midfielders: Rose Lavelle, Savannah DeMelo, Andi Sullivan, Ashley Sanchez, Kristie Mewis
- Defenders: Alana Cook, Naomi Girma, Emily Sonnet, Emily Fox, Crystal Dunn, Kelly O’Hara, Sofia Huerta
- Goalkeepers: Alyssa Naeher, Casey Murphy, Aubrey Kingsbury.
Alex Morgan Is One Of The Best Soccer Players In The World.
Born Alexandra Patricia Morgan in San Dimas, California, the future World Cup champ attended the University of California at Berkley before the Western New York Flash (of the now defunct Women’s Professional Soccer league) drafted her as the overall No. 1 pick in 2011. In 2012, Alex was the youngest member of the USWNT in the 2011 World Cup (the team was runner-up to Japan). Since then, she’s won two World Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal (2012) and Bronze Medal (2020), numerous CONCACAF championships, and numerous other accolades. She took home the NSWL Golden Boot in 2022.
In her professional career, Alex has played for NWSL teams like the Portland Thornes and Orlando Pride. She’s also played on international teams like Lyon and Tottenham Hotspur. In 2022, she joined the San Diego Wave and told PEOPLE this was her endgame team.
“I know that my family is going to be staying in San Diego for good,” she said. She also noted that in 2023, her body “felt good” and that retirement wasn’t in her thoughts. “Right now, I’m taking it one season at a time,” she said. “I feel like I’m in the moment right now, so I’m not looking too far ahead.”
Who Is Alex Morgan’s Husband?
Alex married Servando Carrasco in 2014. Servando – born in Coronado, California, and raised in Tijuana, Mexico – is a midfielder who last played for Inter Miami CF II (fka Fort Lauderdale CF) in 2020.
She Is A Mom.
In 2020, Alex gave birth to their first child, Charlie Elena Carrasco. “When I hit nine months, I thought to myself, ‘Am I ever gonna have my body back?’” Alex told HollywoodLife. ” “But, there are so many women that have been able to do it — Serena Williams, my teammates, and so many other women as well in professional sports,” she said, adding that seeing Serena and others bounce back after baby “made me feel really confident in myself being able to do that as well.”
“I kind of knew coming back after giving birth was gonna be a process and that I was going to have to be patient with myself and my body. [But] I definitely put pressure on myself,” she added. “Yet, I think this year and this pandemic have kind of alleviated that pressure for sure.”
#MomGoals, literally. pic.twitter.com/1vzWlyoMr5
— U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 23, 2023
How Did Alex Morgan Change The World?
Alex has been one of the most vocal women calling for equality in sports. In February 2022, U.S. Soccer and the USWNT reached an agreement, offering $24 million (a third of the $66 million they were seeking in damages as part of their gender discrimination lawsuit) and bonuses matching those of the men’s team.
Morgan also launched the Alex Morgan Foundation, which provides “support, empowerment and an example for young girls and mothers in the local area and beyond,” per the foundation’s website. “This has been on my heart for many years, and I’m so excited to finally launch the Alex Morgan Foundation, a non-profit initiative focused on equity & opportunity on the field & off. Join us as we work to build a confident path forward!” she tweeted in March 2023, after launching the foundation.
“Throughout my career, I’ve fought for equal pay and safe, supportive work environments in women’s soccer to inspire chance on a systemic level. Now, I’m excited to keep fighting on behalf of girls and women as we launch the Alex Morgan Foundation,” she added.
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