Alex Morgan ● Goals 2010-2013 HD
In some ways, not much has changed in four years.
Alex Morgan was healthy and scoring goals then, helping the U.S. women"s national team to an Olympic gold medal in 2012. And she"s healthy and scoring goals now, gearing up to help the U.S. attempt to win another one.
"I think the window in between is the interesting part," USA coach Jill Ellis said of her star forward, one of the highest-profile Central Florida-based athletes competing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
During the past four years, Morgan has gone through a series of injuries bone bruises, sprained ankles, knee issues. She"s pushed to come back from each one, regaining her spot at the forefront of the national team as it begins an endeavor to become the first country to win a FIFA World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back.
There have been endorsements Coca Cola, GNC, Wheat Thins, ChapStick, Nike and Nationwide, among others that brought in money beyond her soccer salary, and accusations of wage discrimination, leading Morgan and her teammates to fight the U.S. Soccer Federation for pay equal to their male counterparts.
She has become a world champion; gotten married to her college sweetheart, Orlando City midfielder Servando Carrasco; and moved to a new city to become the leader and face of the Orlando Pride National Women"s Soccer League team.
It has all changed Morgan and motivated her to remain one of the most threatening forwards in the world as the U.S. women"s national soccer team launches its Olympic campaign with a match against New Zealand at 6 p.m. Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony. Matches against France and Colombia follow to round out Group G.
Morgan is one of seven on the 18-player U.S. roster who previously competed in the Olympics, and one of three players who scored a goal during the 2012 London games.
"It"s really crazy to think about myself four years ago because I feel like I was just so much younger, and I feel like it was so long ago even though it wasn"t too long ago," said Morgan, 27. "It"s exciting to think about where I was then and where I am now, just how much I feel like I"ve grown as a teammate, as a player, as a person.
"I feel like I"m just in a very different place now, and I"ve gone through a lot to be able to give myself the experience needed for this Olympics. So, I feel like I"m really excited to go to this Olympics now with the knowledge and experience I"ve gained over the years and having a greater role with the team."
On paper, Morgan"s 2012 seems hard to top. She scored 28 goals for the national team and had 21 assists. Morgan scored a game-winner in the 123rd minute of an Olympic match against Canada, sending her team to a duel with Japan in the final. She took her place on the podium, lowered her head to accept an Olympic medal and then turned to former teammate Abby Wambach to simultaneously kiss the hard-won gold around their necks. She was named U.S. Soccer"s Female Athlete of the Year and a finalist for FIFA World Player of the Year.
Morgan entered 2012 with 27 international appearances and 10 goals. She finished it with 58 caps and 38 goals.
But she enters the Rio Olympics with 112 caps and 67 goals for the national team, with first-hand experience of what it takes to win it all and renewed determination to prove herself after multiple seasons full of setbacks.
So far this season, she has started in 12 of 13 international matches and played for 990 minutes. She leads the U.S. team with 11 goals and also has three assists.
"Four years ago, 2012, that"s when I was first barely starting with the national team. Before that, I was coming off the bench a lot, getting five minutes, 15 minutes, whatever it may be," Morgan said. "[These Olympic games] do feel different because I feel like I have a greater role. ... I feel like there are just more eyes on me. So, obviously that puts a little pressure on me to just perform every single game."
Part of that leadership role included joining goalkeeper Hope Solo, defender Becky Sauerbrunn and midfielders Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe as a voice for the women"s national team, which is seeking a compensation structure equal to the men"s team. The five players filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions and await a decision while pushing to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Another dominant performance in the Olympics could reinforce their slogan pushing for "Equal Play, Equal Pay."
The inability to score the number of goals she"d hoped for in club play with the Orlando Pride adds to the pressure Morgan faces in Rio. She is tied for third on the Orlando expansion team for goals scored with two.
"There"s always those spells that strikers go through," said Pride coach Tom Sermanni, who also coached the U.S. women"s national team from 2013-14. "The thing that Alex does is she takes a lot of pressure off other players because virtually every time she gets the ball, there are two or three players manhandling her and she has to cope and deal with that. That opens up the space for other players."
That"s "been difficult," Morgan said of the limited scoring with the Pride, but the pressure to perform isn"t a bad thing.
She is embracing Olympic challenges and thinks the young U.S. national team will thrive with the high expectations of the nation on its shoulders.
Ellis doesn"t seem worried, either. She sees many similarities between 2012 Player of the Year Morgan and 2016 Morgan along with some improvement.
Morgan"s movement and running off the ball has evolved significantly, as has her timing and touch, Ellis said.
"Was she an important piece of the attack then? And now? Yes," Ellis said. "And, you know, we"re going to play a little bit differently. Then, it was running and chasing goals down. We still want her to penetrate and make runs in behind, but now she has b***s coming in the box to her. She"s going to get a lot more service."
As Ellis said, things have changed in the past four years, but a lot remains the same, including one thing in particular.
"Putting on the jersey and representing the crest is the same every time," Morgan said. "There"s a lot of excitement building on all fronts. I feel like we"ve been talking about it for so many months and now it"s just around the corner."
ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.com
Opening kickoff
The U.S. women"s soccer team opens the Rio Olympics at 6 p.m. Wednesday against New Zealand. The match will air on the NBC Sports Network.
Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-pride-soccer/os-rio-olympics-alex-morgan-0731-20160730-story.html
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