Alex Morgan
Alexandra Patricia Morgan, commonly known as Alex Morgan, (born July 2, 1989) is an American soccer player andOlympic gold medalist. She is a forward for the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and for 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 Draftby the Western New York Flash. There, she made her professional debut and helped the team win the league championship. At age 22, she was the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. In the2012 London Olympics she scored the game-winning goal in the 123rd minute of the semifinal 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 Yearfinalist.
Off the field, Morgan teamed with Simon & Schuster to write a middle-grade book series about four soccer players entitledThe Kicks. The first book in the series, Saving the Team (ISBN 1442485701), debuted at number seven on the The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Middle Grade in May 2013. She has endorsement deals with Nike, Nationwide,Panasonic, Coca Cola, ChapStick, and Bridgestone.
Early life
Born to Pamela S. (née Jeske) and Michael T. Morgan in San Dimas, California,[2] Morgan was raised with her two older sisters, Jeni and Jeri in the nearby suburb of Diamond Bar, located approximately 45 minutes east of Los Angeles.[3] She was a multi-sport athlete growing up and began playing soccer at an early age. [4] However, she did not begin playing club soccer until age 14 when she joined Cypress Elite.[5][6] With the club team, she won the Coast Soccer League (CSL) under-16 championship and placed third at the under-19 level.[1]
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).[7] At the school, she was known for her speed and sprinting ability.[8] Morgan played for Olympic Development Program (ODP) regional and state teams as well.[1] 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."[9]
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.[10]
Personal life
Morgan married fellow soccer player Servando Carrasco, on December 31, 2014.[94] Although her teammates rarely use it nowadays, 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.[95][96][97]
Honors and awards
Club
- Western New York Flash
- Portland Thorns FC
- NWSL Championship: 2013
International
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2012
- FIFA Women's World Cup Runner-up: 2011
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: 2008
- Algarve Cup: 2011, 2013, 2015
- Four Nations Tournament: 2011
- CONCACAF Women's Championship: 2014
Individual
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Silver Ball: 2008
- NCAA All-American First-Team: 2010
- Pac-10 Conference First-Team: 2008, 2009, 2010
- ESPY Award Best Breakthrough Athlete Nominee and Best Moment Nominee: 2012, 2013
- Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year, Team Sport: 2012
- U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2012
- 3rd Place FIFA World Player of the Year: 2012
- National Women's Soccer League Second Best XI: 2013
- CONCACAF Player of the Year: 2013[98]
- USSF U.S. Soccer Team All-Time XI: 2013[99]
.jpg) Morgan before a friendly match against England in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexandra Patricia Morgan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | July 2, 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | San Dimas, California, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward/Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team
| Portland Thorns FC | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cypress Elite | |||
| 2007–2010 | California Golden Bears | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2009 | West Coast FC | 2 | (2) |
| 2010 | California Storm | 3 | (5) |
| 2010 | Pali Blues | 3 | (1) |
| 2011 | Western New York Flash | 13 | (4) |
| 2012 | Seattle Sounders Women | 3 | (2) |
| 2013– | Portland Thorns FC | 33 | (14) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008 | United States U20 | 10 | (5) |
| 2010– | United States | 88 | (52) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 23, 2015.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of June 19, 2015     | |||
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