Alex Morgan is an iconic figure in the American women’s soccer. She is recognized for her accomplishment as a FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and earning a gold medal during the Olympics. She plays for Orlando Pride and the United States soccer team as a forward. She was drafted as number one in 2011 WPS Draft upon her graduation. Her excellent performance earned her a spot on the national soccer team. Besides playing soccer Morgan also wrote a book series for middle grade about four soccer players, titled The Kicks. She has received endorsements from various sponsors like Panasonic, Bridgestone, Nike etcetera.
Early Life
On July 2, 1989 in Diamond Bar, California, Alexandra Patricia Morgan was born to Pamela S. and Michael T. Morgan. Since a very early age Morgan showed inclination toward sports. She joined a soccer club, Cypress Elite, at the age of 14. Her team won the under-16 Coast Soccer League (CSL) and she was ranked third among the under-19 players. She received her education from Diamond Bar High School. She obtained a three-time all-league pick and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America named her All-American. She played for both regional and state teams while being in Olympic Development Program. To her that program played a crucial role in honing her skills as a soccer player. As she turned 17, she was inducted into the United States under-20 women’s national soccer team.
In 2007, she went to college UC Berkeley. There she played for the California Golden Bears. During her years with Golden Bears she played against Stanford in NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship. She was nominated for Herman Trophy and became one of the top-three Hermann Trophy finalists. University of California, Berkeley conferred upon her degree in Political Economy one semester earlier.
Club Career
Morgan was the first California Golden Bears player to be drafted into Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). She then played for Western New York Flash and scored a goal against Atlanta Beat. Scoring 4 goals in 14 matches she helped her club win the WPS Championship title. In 2012, she joined the Seattle Sounders Women due to some financial difficulties. Also being part of a national team her time was divided between club seasonal matches and the 2012 Summer Olympics preparation.
Afterwards she played for Portland Thorns FC in the National Women’s Soccer League. Scoring her first goal for the Thorn during the team’s home-opener she helped her team win 2-1 victory against Seattle Reign FC. The club was ranked third at the end of the season. Portland won the championship, and her team was titled the NWSL Best XI Second team. In October 2015, it was reported that Morgan was traded to Orlando Pride along with Kaylyn Kyle for their number one player.
Awards and Achievements
At 22, Morgan was the youngest player on the U.S. national team to play in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She scored her first goal against France during the semi-final matchup. She was ranked eighth in the FIFA World Player of the Year. In the London 2012 Olympics, she scored two goals in a 4-0 win against Canada. Some of the titles she received are down below.
- FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Silver Ball: 2008
- Pac-10 Conference First-Team: 2008, 2009, 2010
- S. Soccer Athlete of the Year: 2012
- CONCACAF Player of the Year: 2013
- 3rd Place FIFA World Player of the Year: 2012
