Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan is a retired American soccer forward who was one of the most prominent players for the United States women's national team during the 2010s and early 2020s. A prolific goal-scorer and a leading figure in the growth of women's soccer in the United States, she won two FIFA Women's World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal, and became one of the sport's most recognizable ambassadors.

Early life

Alexandra Morgan Carrasco was born in San Dimas, California, in 1989. She played multiple sports growing up before focusing on soccer as a teenager. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she starred for the California Golden Bears and was named an All-American. Her collegiate success led to her selection as the first overall pick in the 2011 professional draft.

Career

Morgan made her debut for the United States women's national team in 2010 and quickly established herself as a key attacking player. At the 2011 World Cup she scored in the final against Japan, although the United States lost on penalties. She was a central figure at the 2012 London Olympics, where the team won the gold medal and she recorded a strong scoring and assist tally over the tournament.

At the 2015 World Cup in Canada, Morgan helped the United States win the title, and she was a co-captain and leading forward when the team again won the World Cup in France in 2019, where she scored several goals including a record-tying five-goal performance in a group-stage match. She earned more than two hundred caps and scored over one hundred international goals, placing her among the most productive forwards in the program's history and among an elite group of players to reach the century mark in international goals.

Recent work

At club level, Morgan played for several teams across the National Women's Soccer League and abroad, including stints with the Orlando Pride and a period with Tottenham Hotspur in England, before becoming a foundational player for the San Diego Wave. Off the field, she was an outspoken advocate for equal pay and better conditions in women's soccer and was among the players involved in the high-profile legal and public campaign for pay equity with the men's national team. She also became a notable commercial figure, appearing in advertising campaigns and endorsement deals, and authored a series of children's books aimed at young athletes. She announced her retirement from professional soccer in 2024, shortly after revealing she was expecting her second child, ending a career that helped define an era of the U.S. women's program.