Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan Carrasco (born July 2, 1989) is an American soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. She is a forward for Orlando Pride in the NWSL and the United States women's national soccer team. Shortly after graduating early from the University of California, Berkeley where she played for the women's soccer team, Morgan was drafted number one overall in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash. There, she made her professional debut and helped the team win the league championship.
Morgan, who was 22 at the time, was the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where the team won silver. At the 2012 London Olympics she scored the game-winning goal in the 123rd minute of the semi-final game against Canada. She finished 2012 with 28 goals and 21 assists, joining Mia Hamm as the only American women to score 20 goals and collect 20 assists in the same calendar year, and making her the sixth and youngest U.S. player to score 20 goals in a single year. She was subsequently named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and was a FIFA World Player of the Year finalist.
Off the field, Morgan teamed with Simon & Schuster to write a middle-grade book series about four soccer players entitled The Kicks. The first book in the series, Saving the Team, debuted at number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list in May 2013. A live-action kids comedy series based on the books and also titled The Kicks is broadcast via Amazon Prime.
In 2015, Morgan was ranked by Time as the top-paid American women's soccer player largely due to her numerous endorsement deals. Morgan, along with Canada's Christine Sinclair and Australia's Steph Catley, became the first women's soccer players to appear on the cover of FIFA video games in 2015. She appeared alongside Lionel Messi on covers of FIFA 16 sold in the United States.
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Early life
Born to Pamela S. and Michael T. Morgan in San Dimas, California, Morgan was raised with her two older sisters, Jeni and Jeri in the nearby suburb of Diamond Bar, located approximately 30 miles east of Los Angeles. She was a multi-sport athlete growing up and began playing soccer at an early age. However, she did not begin playing club soccer until age 14 when she joined Cypress Elite. With the club team, she won the Coast Soccer League (CSL) under-16 championship and placed third at the under-19 level.
Morgan attended Diamond Bar High School, where she was a three-time all-league pick and was named All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). At the school, she was known for her speed and sprinting ability. Morgan played for Olympic Development Program (ODP) regional and state teams as well. She later credited the program as an integral part of her development as a soccer player: "... programs like ODP helped me especially because I did come into the club scene late and it was important for me to play as much as possible, play with the best players and learn from the best coaches. That, for me, was crucial to my development."
At age 17, Morgan was called up to the United States under-20 women's national soccer team. While playing in a scrimmage against the men's junior national team, she endured an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and did not play for the team again until April 2008.
California Golden Bears, 2007-2010
Morgan attended UC Berkeley, where she played for the California Golden Bears from 2007 to 2010. She led the Golden Bears in scoring during her first season with the team. During a match against Stanford in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, Morgan scored an equalizer that resulted in a 1-1 draw with less than two minutes left in regulation time. The team was ultimately defeated during penalty kicks. Despite continued absences due to U.S. national team commitments throughout her collegiate career, Morgan led the Golden Bears in scoring and helped the team reach the NCAA Tournament four years in a row, advancing to the second round twice.
After being named a candidate for the Hermann Trophy during her junior year, Morgan became the first California player to be one of the top three finalists for the award. She was one of four finalists for the Honda Sports Award, given to the best overall candidate in each sport.
Morgan finished her collegiate career ranked third all-time in goals scored (45) and points (107) for the Golden Bears. She graduated from Berkeley one semester early, with a degree in Political Economy.
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Club career
Western New York Flash, 2011
On January 14, 2011, Morgan was the first overall pick in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash. She was the first California Golden Bears women's soccer player to be drafted in the first round of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). Morgan scored her first goal for the Flash during the team's home opener--a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Beat on May 1, 2011. Throughout the 2011 season, she played in 14 matches and scored 4 goals. The club won the regular season title and the WPS Championship title the same year.
Seattle Sounders Women, 2012
After the WPS later suspended operations in early 2012 due to legal and financial difficulties, Morgan joined her national teammates Hope Solo, Sydney Leroux, Megan Rapinoe and Stephanie Cox on the Seattle Sounders Women for the 2012 season. Of her signing, Morgan said, "I am excited to play in a city that is so passionate about soccer. The Sounders have been one of, if not the best fan support in MLS. I can only imagine how Seattle fans would respond to having a full professional women's team in the future."
Due to her national team commitments and preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Morgan made three regular season appearances for the club. She scored two goals and served two assist in her 253 minutes on the pitch. With the national teammates' presence on the team, the Sounders sold out nine of their ten home matches at the 4,500 capacity Starfire Stadium. Average attendance during the 2012 season for the Sounders Women was four times higher than the next closest team.
Portland Thorns FC, 2013-2015
On January 11, 2013, Morgan was one of three U.S. national team players to join the Portland Thorns FC for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League via the NWSL Player Allocation. She scored her first goal for the Thorns during the team's home-opener at Jeld-Wen Field in front of 16,479 spectators helping her team defeat the Seattle Reign FC 2-1. She finished the regular season as the team's point leader, and joint scoring leader (with Christine Sinclair), with eight goals and five assists (21 points). The club finished third during the regular season led by head coach Cindy Parlow Cone. On August 31, 2013, Portland captured the league's inaugural championship title after defeating regular season champions Western New York Flash 2-0. Morgan was named to the NWSL Second XI on August 28.
Morgan returned to the Thorns for the 2014 season led by new head coach Paul Riley. She scored six goals in her 15 appearances for the club. The Thorns finished third during the regular season with a 10-8-6 record and advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The team was defeated by eventual champions FC Kansas City 2-0.
During the 2015 season, Morgan made four appearances for the Thorns due to her national team commitments for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Vancouver, Canada. She scored one goal during a 3-3 draw against the Washington Spirit on August 31. The Thorns finished in sixth place during the regular season with a 6-9-5 record.
Orlando Pride, 2016-
On October 26, 2015, it was announced that Thorns had traded Morgan, along with teammate Kaylyn Kyle, to expansion team Orlando Pride in exchange for the Pride's number one picks in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft and 2016 NWSL College Draft as well as an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Morgan scored four goals in her 15 appearances for the Pride. The club finished in ninth place during the regular season with a 6-13-1 record led by head coach Tom Sermanni.
The Pride announced Morgan's addition to their 2017 active roster on June 21, 2017, waiving Christina Burkenroad to make room on the 20-player roster.
Olympique Lyonnais, 2017 (loan)
On January 5, 2017, she signed to the French side champion Olympique Lyonnais. On June 1, 2017 Morgan started the UEFA Women's Champions League final but left after 23 minutes with an injury. Lyon won the match after a penalty shootout.
Club summary
*Per NWSL "Goal Scoring Leaders" and "Assists Leaders" lists, which contradict "Portland Thorns Stats" table
International career
Due to the ACL injury that slowed her progress in 2007, Morgan was not called up to train with the United States under-20 women's national soccer team until April 2008. Her first appearance for the under-20 team occurred during the 2008 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in Puebla, Mexico, where she scored her first international goal against Cuba.
Morgan was named to the United States U-20 women's national team that competed in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile, scoring a total of four goals in the tournament against France, Argentina and North Korea. Morgan's fourth goal of the tournament was a match-winner that gave the U.S. a gold medal, which was subsequently voted the best goal of the tournament, and later FIFA's second-best goal of the year. Morgan's performance on the field earned her the Bronze Shoe as the tournament's third-highest scorer and the Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player behind teammate Sydney Leroux.
She has been capped by the senior national team, first appearing as a substitute in a match versus Mexico in March 2010, and scored her first international goal after coming on as a substitute against China, which salvaged a 1-1 draw in October 2010. Her most important goal to date came a month later in a crucial road game against Italy. After entering the match in the 86th minute, she scored in the fourth minute of added time to give the United States a 1-0 victory over Italy in the first leg of a playoff to qualify for the final spot for the Women's World Cup.
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
Morgan was the youngest player on the U.S. national team that placed second in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. On July 13, 2011, she scored her first FIFA Women's World Cup goal in the 82nd minute of the semi-final matchup against France, giving the USA a 3-1 lead and ultimately, the victory. She scored the first goal (69') in the FIFA World Cup Final against Japan after coming on as a substitute at the half, as well as assisting on the Abby Wambach header (104') for a goal in extra time. Her performance made her the first player to ever record a goal and an assist in a World Cup final. Morgan finished eighth in the balloting for the 2011 FIFA World Player of the Year.
2012 London Olympics
Morgan did not become a starter for the U.S. until the fifth game of the year in January, the final of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. She scored twice and provided two assists to Wambach that day, in a 4-0 win over the Canadian hosts and has become a regular starter ever since. Morgan scored 14 goals in a 12-game stretch from January to late May 2012, including three straight two-goal efforts. She earned her first career hat-trick on March 7, 2012, during a 4-0 victory against Sweden in the third-place game of the Algarve Cup. In June 2012, she was nominated for an ESPY Award as the Best Breakthrough Athlete.
In the opening game of 2012 London Olympics group play, Morgan scored both the equalizer and the goal that sealed the win against France. In the next three Olympic matches, she assisted on the game-winning goal, including two to Wambach.
Morgan scored the winning goal in the Olympic semi-final match against Canada in extra time, sending the United States to the gold medal match against Japan. Her goal came in the 123rd minute, the latest goal ever scored by a member of the U.S. women's team and a FIFA record. The goal continued her propensity for late heroics in the closing stages of matches. Seventeen of her 28 total goals to date have come after the 60th minute. The game-winning goal was Morgan's team-high 20th in 2012, becoming only the sixth and youngest U.S. player to do so in a single year. In the final, a 2-1 win against Japan on August 9, Morgan assisted on a Carli Lloyd header. She ended the tournament with 3 goals, and a team-high four assists (tied with Megan Rapinoe) and ten points (tied with Rapinoe and Wambach). To celebrate her achievements, she was honored at her former high school and the No. 13 jersey was retired.
In 2012, Morgan led the U.S. in goals (28), multi-goal games (9), assists (21) and points (77). Her calendar year goals, assists and points totals are the third-best, tied second-best (one tally shy of record), and second-best, respectively, in U.S. WNT history. Morgan joined an exclusive club as she and Hamm are the only U.S. WNT players to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in the same calendar year and became only the third and youngest player to reach 20 assists in a calendar year. Morgan and Wambach combined for 55 goals in 2012 - matching a 21-year-old record set in 1991 by Michelle Akers (39 goals) and Carin Jennings (16 goals) as the most goals scored by any duo in U.S. WNT history. She had either scored or assisted on 41 percent of the USA's 120 goals this year. And, by herself, she comfortably out-scored and out-assisted her opponents, who combined for 21 goals and 12 assists in 32 games against the U.S.
For her excellence on the field, U.S. Soccer announced Morgan as the 2012 Female Athlete of the Year. Morgan's exploits have also earned her a place on the FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist, ultimately finished third in voting.
2013-2014
At the 2013 Algarve Cup, Morgan shared top-scoring honors. She finished the competition with four assists and three goals, including the equalizer against Sweden that advanced the U.S. to the final and the two goals against Germany that won the championship. Morgan previously won the tournament's golden boot in 2011. On June 2, 2013, Morgan scored two-second half goals as the U.S. defeated Canada 3-0 in front of a sold out crowd in Toronto. This was the first match between USA and Canada since the epic semi-final of the 2012 Olympic Games. Morgan was named to her third appearance on the 10-player short list for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year in 2013 and finished fourth in the voting. For the inaugural CONCACAF Awards, she was recognized as the CONCACAF 2013 Female Player of the Year. And as a part of US Soccer's celebration of its Centennial anniversary the Federation revealed the US Soccer's All-Time Women's National Team Best XI, she was youngest player selected at 24 years old.
Morgan had a return of 5 goal in 7 matches for the USWNT in 2014 after returning from injury before she reinjured her ankle at the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, which ruled her out for the rest of tournament.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
Morgan scored the only goal in a friendly win over England in February upon her return to the international fold. Morgan was part of the USWNT that won its tenth Algarve Cup in 2015. She scored in the 3-0 defeat of Switzerland.
Morgan spent two months recovering from a knee injury in the build-up to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Morgan made her first start at the World Cup Finals as the US defeated Nigeria 1-0 in the last group match to advance as group winners. She registered her only goal of the World Cup's knockout stage with the opener in the 2-0 last 16 win over Colombia. Morgan did, however, win penalties for the USWNT in the 2-0 victories against Colombia in the last 16 and Germany in the semi-finals, respectively. Morgan then started the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final as the USWNT defeated Japan 5-2 to win its third FIFA Women's World Cup. Morgan played in all 7 World Cup Finals matches and started every match since being restored to the starting 11 against Nigeria.
2016 Rio Olympics
Morgan marked her 100th cap for the USWNT in a 5-0 friendly win against Republic of Ireland on January 23, by registering a goal and an assist. At the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers in February, Morgan scored the fastest recorded goal in tournament history and in the history of the USWNT, netting after just 12 seconds, before later adding a second, in a 5-0 defeat of Costa Rica. She followed this up with her third career hat-trick in a win against Trinidad and Tobago, as the USWNT secured their qualification for the Rio Olympics. Morgan started in the final against Canada, as the USWNT won 2-0 to be crowned tournament winners. She was voted in the Best XI for the tournament.
At the first SheBelieves Cup in March, an invitational four-team tournament consisting of England, France, Germany and the United States, Morgan was awarded the Golden Boot and the MVP award. She scored in victories against France and Germany as the USWNT won the tournament with three wins from three. Morgan scored eight goals during her first nine appearances of 2016.
International summary
Updated through 2016-03-08
International goals
Other work
Books and television series
In 2012, Morgan signed with Simon & Schuster to pen The Kicks, a four-book series for middle schoolers. The series is focused on four young girls and features themes of friendship, leadership, and soccer. In a statement released by the publisher, Morgan said she wanted her books to "inspire young girls" and "celebrate" her love of soccer. The first novel, Saving The Team was released on May 14, 2013 followed by the second novel, Sabotage Season, on September 3, 2013. Saving the Team debuted at number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Middle Grade. In 2015, a live-action kids comedy series based on the books, called The Kicks, began airing on Amazon Prime.
Endorsements
Morgan has signed several endorsement deals with businesses including Nike, Panasonic, AT&T, Chobani, McDonald's. P&G, Mondelez International, and Coca-Cola. Time named Morgan the highest paid American women's soccer player in June 2015 attributed mostly to her endorsement deals. In July 2011, she signed a one-year endorsement deal with Bank of America. In January 2012, Morgan and national teammate Heather Mitts became brand ambassadors for health product company, GNC. The same year, she made appearances on behalf of Ubisoft promoting the launch of their video game, Just Dance 4. In 2013, she appeared in television commercials for Bridgestone. She joined a two-year partnership as the spokesperson for ChapStick in October 2013. In 2015, she starred in a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company commercial that was broadcast nationwide in the United States. She appeared in commercials for Chobani in 2016.
In 2016, Alex Morgan joined UNICEF Kid Power as a UNICEF Kid Power Champion, in an effort to fight global malnutrition and as well as raise awareness among kids, via the world's first "wearable for good", created by UNICEF.
In popular culture
Magazines
Morgan has been featured in a number of magazines. In the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, she appeared in a section composed of athletes in body paint. She was featured in the 2013 music issue of ESPN The Magazine replicating Katy Perry's One of the Boys album cover. In May 2015, Morgan was featured on the cover of ESPN Magazine with teammates Abby Wambach and Sydney Leroux. The same year, she appeared on multiple covers of Sports Illustrated before and after winning the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. She appeared for a second time in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2015. She has appeared on the covers of Health and Self magazines She has been featured in Shape, Vogue, Elle, Time, and Fortune.
Television and film appearances
In 2011, Morgan co-starred with national teammate Hope Solo in a television commercial promoting ESPN's SportsCenter. Morgan and teammate Carli Lloyd were guests on Live with Kelly and Michael following the 2012 Summer Olympics in September 2012. In 2013, Morgan appeared in the ESPN documentary series, Nine for IX. The Nine for IX documentary, The 99ers, in which she appeared focused on the success and legacy of the national team squad that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. In January 2015, she guest-starred on an episode of Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn entitled The Quad Test. In April 2015, Morgan joined Abby Wambach on American Idol to announce that the show's season winner would record the official song for Fox's coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In May of the same year, her likeness appeared on The Simpsons along with Christen Press and Abby Wambach. Morgan was a presenter at the 2015 ESPY Awards and received an ESPY with her teammates for Best Team.
Video games
In July 2015, Morgan, and her Portland Thorns teammates Christine Sinclair and Steph Catley became the first female athletes to appear on the cover of EA Sports' latest FIFA video game, FIFA 16. Morgan, Sinclair, and Catley were chosen to appear on its region-specific packaging in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, respectively, alongside Lionel Messi, who appears in worldwide versions of the game. FIFA 16 was also the first edition of the franchise to include women's teams in the game.
Ticker tape parade and White House honor
Following the United States' win at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Morgan and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City. Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio. In October of the same year, the team was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.
Personal life
Morgan married Servando Carrasco, a soccer player currently playing for Orlando City SC, on December 31, 2014. The two met at UC Berkeley where they both played soccer. Although her teammates rarely use it anymore, Morgan was given the nickname "Baby Horse" by her teammates on the U.S. women's national team for her speed, running style, and youth. Morgan received the key to the city of Diamond Bar, her hometown, on January 24, 2016.
Honors and awards
Club
- WPS Championship: 2011
- NWSL Championship: 2013
- Division 1 Féminine: 2017
- Coupe de France Féminine: 2017
- UEFA Women's Champions League: 2017
International
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2012
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015, Runner-up: 2011
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2008
- Algarve Cup: 2011, 2013, 2015
- Four Nations Tournament: 2011
- SheBelieves Cup: 2016
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2014
- CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2012, 2016
- ESPY Award Best Team: 2015
Individual
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Silver Ball: 2008
- ESPY Award Best Breakthrough Athlete nominee: 2012
- ESPY Award Best Moment Nominee: 2013
- Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, Team Sport: 2012
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2012
- FIFA World Player of the Year finalist: 2012
- National Women's Soccer League Second Best XI: 2013
- CONCACAF Player of the Year: 2013
- USWNT All-Time Best XI: 2013
- SheBelieves Cup Golden Ball and MVP: 2016
- FIFPro: FIFA FIFPro World XI 2016
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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