By: Karen Zhu
It’s a scene repeated wherever Alex Morgan goes: young girls shouting her name, in ponytails and a number 13 national team jersey like her, gathered in shrieking crowds in the hope of getting close to their favorite women’s soccer player. It’s unclear to say who gets more from the encounters — Alex, or her fans.
Her Legacy
Reflecting on Alex Morgan’s incredible achievements, investigate some background information. Alex Morgan Carrasco is a professional American soccer player, her position is the striker, or the forward and is the captain of the San Diego Wave FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women’s professional soccer in the United States. She is one of the most famous and successful soccer players in the world. She has helped the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) win two Women’s World Cups,a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She had an annual income estimated at $5.7 million in salary and endorsements last year, making her the best-paid women’s soccer player in the world.
Life
Alex’s soccer career actually started unusually early. When she was 7, she told her mother she wanted to be a professional soccer player. Nevering bringing up the fact that there was no women’s professional at that time, her parents supported her unconditionally and drove her to tournaments all over Southern California. “They supported my dream,” she said, “even though there was no pathway there.” But thankfully, a path did emerge, and that very path led to the many awards and honors she would get in the future.
Growth and Family
During Morgan’s time in college, she met Joy Fawcett once, who also represented the U.S. four times in the World Cup. When she was coming off the field, Morgan asked for a picture, except the camera wouldn’t work and Morgan needed 10 tries to capture a usable photo. “She was so patient,” Morgan said. “Those two minutes impacted me so much.” Now, Alex has grown a lot over the years, and she’s had many achievements since then. On Nov. 13, 2022 US versus Germany in the final match of the year, she became the 13th player in USWNT history to reach the 200-cap milestone. She also scored one of the biggest goals of the year, converting from the penalty spot to defeat Canada, 1-0, in the title game of the 2022 Concacaf W Championship as she helped the USA earn berths to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics. She was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.“With Alex, you’ll get someone that shows up every day, that doesn’t cut corners and sits in the front of the classroom and is typically the last to leave practice. That’s a pro,” said Jill Ellis, who coached Morgan in the World Cup twice and then, as president of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave. “She’s always looking at ways of ‘How can I improve?’ It’s pretty remarkable at this point in her career.”
Part of the reason of growth is that she is no longer playing just for herself. After the last World Cup, Morgan took a year off to start a family, giving birth in May 2020 to her daughter Charlie. When she came back, motherhood, along with the wisdom and experience that come with age, made Morgan a better player. “The reason that I’m able to do what I do and be who I am is because of my family,” Morgan said. “They’ve lifted me up, they’ve allowed me to chase my dreams. That’s allowed me, since having Charlie, to be more than happy and more than confident in what I have to bring, both on and off the soccer field.” She also said,“I try my hardest to be a good mom and I try my hardest to be a great soccer player. And if that’s good enough for me, that’s good enough for my family.”