Forward Alex Morgan is missing from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s major tournament roster for the first time in 16 years.
On Wednesday, coach Emma Hayes left Morgan out of the 18-player squad for this summer’s Paris Olympics. In her absence, the U.S. team, which last won at the 2012 London Olympics, will be without a previous gold medalist.
“Of course it was a tough decision, especially given Alex’s history and record with this team,” Hayes said, “but I felt like I wanted to go in a different direction and chose something else. players.
Morgan’s absence can be viewed in several ways. It’s the end of an era for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Some will see this as a belated move to balance young players with veterans. Others will think Hayes made a simple football decision. More than anything, Wednesday’s move is a reminder that no spot on Team USA’s roster is guaranteed.
“Today, I am disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage,” Morgan said in a social media post after the announcement. “This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I feel extremely proud every time I wear the crest.”
Today, I am disappointed that I did not get the chance to represent our country on the Olympic stage. This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I feel extremely proud every time I wear the crest.
In less than a month I’m looking forward to supporting this team… pic.twitter.com/NAXmQnNN8B
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) June 26, 2024
Hayes declined to reveal the reasons for Morgan’s departure from the roster and four substitutes, including Gotham FC forward Lynn Williams. Instead, she highlighted “what an incredible player and person Alex Morgan is” during the brief time she worked with him in training camp for two friendlies with South Korea this month.
“I saw firsthand not only her character, but her professionalism. Her record speaks for itself,” Hayes said. At the same time, she acknowledged the limitations of an 18-player roster, with only 16 players taking the field.
Morgan has leadership qualities, having captained the U.S. team on the biggest stage of the World Cup. She has more experience than any other player on the roster in terms of appearances and goals scored. So what kept her from making the Olympic team?
Since the friendly in South Korea, it’s been clear that the best forward starting lineup includes Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson, but Morgan is still competing for a roster spot. But her performance at the club could affect her campaign.
“I come from the club level and I’ve learned that the best development is done at the club level,” Hayes said in his first media interview in New York City last month, essentially addressing the players directly through the media. “So come back to your club, play football, compete, stay fit and put yourself in the best possible position.”
Hayes has insisted since taking over that performance and form are important in her assessment, particularly where the club is concerned.
“There are some players on the roster who have performed well, and we certainly made the decision to select those players after careful consideration, but I think it’s a balanced roster,” Hayes said. “I’ve considered all the factors needed for the entire Olympics and I’m really happy with (the list).”
After several years of limited club involvement – she played just 10 league games with Orlando Pride and Tottenham Hotspur from 2019 to 2021, which included a break while pregnant with daughter Charlie – Morgan is in the new launch The San Diego wave ushered in the resurgence of the 2022 season. She led the NWSL with 15 goals, including 11 in consecutive games, winning the Golden Boot. This is Morgan at his best – consistently firing with his left foot while finding enough space inside the six-yard box to convert dangerous chances.
Morgan, who turns 35 on Tuesday, is also sidelined with an ongoing ankle injury.
Her form wasn’t quite as strong at the start of 2023, but her place on Vlatko Andonovski’s World Cup squad was sealed. She has been a fixture in his line-up throughout the build-up to the tournament and was expected to do some thankless lead-off duty, even if her scoring touch doesn’t quite resemble old-fashioned form.
However, since the U.S. women’s soccer team was eliminated in the round of 16 of the World Cup, Morgan has struggled in terms of goalscoring numbers for both club and country. San Diego has struggled this season and fired head coach Casey Stoney this week. Still, even when the going gets tough, players of Morgan’s pedigree are expected to score. Conversely, she has yet to score midway through the 2024 season.
Given the trouble the Tide has had running the ball this year, Morgan had to drop deeper than usual to get the ball. This can be seen in how often she has to guide passes upfield – 16.2% of her passes go at least five yards towards goal, a rate more common among midfielders than forwards , much higher than the 12.1% in 2022.
What is even more worrying is that despite playing nearly 600 minutes, she has scored 0 goals this season.
Morgan’s lack of versatility may also factor into Hayes’ decision. Morgan has long been an expert forward, scoring 123 goals and becoming the fifth-leading scorer in U.S. women’s soccer history. But with that specialization comes a lack of experience in other positions, as is the case with some players who have been called up for the tournament.
Partly due to her club side’s stagnation in possession, Morgan failed to enjoy the same abundance of services in the box. She has yet to complete a shot inside the six-yard box in 2024, causing her expected goals per shot to drop dramatically, and only six of her 20 shots this season have come with her stronger Finished with the left foot.
Despite the team’s poor form, teammate Jaedyn Shaw was able to do enough to remain in Hayes’ Olympic plans. Unfortunately, Morgan didn’t perform well for the U.S. Women’s National Team, which helped Shaw’s selection, and Hayes on Wednesday called her involvement in the national team’s goal “meaningful.”
Morgan’s biggest reason to return to the Olympics has more to do with the intangibles, whether it’s her presence as a veteran leader with captain Lindsey Horan or her late knockout performance given her main event. The kind of existential tracking that stages can provide. With an 18-player roster, it’s clear Hayes can’t justify those intangibles over more basic roster needs.
“There’s no denying the program has had great success historically, but the reality is we have a lot of work to do before we can reach the highest level again,” Hayes said.
Youth are part of this process. Hayes named the youngest Olympic squad since the 2008 U.S. women’s soccer team won gold in Beijing. The average age of the current lineup is 26.8 years old, which is four years younger than the team that won the bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. But even more obvious is the difference in the number of appearances compared to the last Olympics. The average number of games played per player in 2021 is 111; this team’s average points is only 58.
“Looking at the team’s salary cap accumulation, they lacked the development to put some of their inexperienced players in positions where they could develop experience,” Hayes said. “I think we have to do that in order to take the next step, That’s important, so I won’t look back.
Morgan played 224 games for Team USA, far more than any player on the Olympic roster. (Photo by Brad Smith, Getty Images for USSF)
Hayes noted that Xiao’s addition to the roster supports the idea of focusing on young players and their development in major tournaments to gain experience that will benefit the U.S. Women’s Soccer team both immediately and long-term. Hayes sidestepped questions about what the team might achieve or what its Olympic goals are, emphasizing that her mission is to get the team as close to its best level and best version as possible.
For all the history and legacy Morgan has left behind in her absence, she may provide a short-term boost. She might not. It’s impossible to predict what a single player might contribute in a major tournament. Ultimately, Hayes is focusing on bigger things, building on the changes already made following last summer’s early exit from the World Cup.
“This is an opportunity for us to demonstrate these lessons learned that will take us further than we were last time,” she said. “But nothing in life is guaranteed.”
(Top: Getty Images; Design: Dan Goldfarb)
