Alex Morgan: A star on the field
OVERVIEW
Whether she is playing for the Orlando Pride or the US Women’s National team, Alex Morgan constantly outshines her competition. The champion has played for many teams and clubs, and one cannot go about the soccer universe without hearing her name.
EARLY YEARS
Alex Morgan was born in San Dimas, California in 1989 as Alexandra Patricia Morgan, and her parents are Pamela and Michael Morgan. She has two older sisters, Jeni and Jeri. Morgan played multiple sports in her youth, soccer included. However, Alex did not start playing club soccer until she was 14, when she joined Cypress Elite. Her team went on to win the Coast Soccer League in the under-16 level and placed third in the under-19 division.
Morgan played for Diamond Bar High School, where she was named a three-time all-league pick and was named All American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). At the fresh-faced age of seventeen, Alex was called up to the under-20 Women’s National Team. In college, the forward attended University of California Berkeley. In the three years that she played, Alex Morgan placed third in all time goals and points for UC Berkeley. She was also named a candidate for the Hermann Trophy, making her the first top three finalist in California. The Hermann Trophy is an award given to the best player overall in Division 1 soccer. To add on to her long list of achievements, Morgan was one of the top four finalists for the Honda Sports Award, given to the top player in each sport.
ACHIEVEMENTS ON AND OFF THE FIELD
After college, Alex Morgan went first overall in the 2011 Women’s Soccer League Draft by the New York Flash. In her only year with this club, Morgan and her team won the regular season title and the WPS Championship title. She made fourteen match appearances and scored four goals. Her first of these four was during the season home opener against the Atlanta Beat.
Due to legal and financial troubles, the Flash suspended operations and Alex Morgan moved to the Seattle Sounders Women. She was joined by fellow USWNT players Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Stephanie Cox, and Sydney Leroux. She appeared three times in the season because of her obligation to the national team.
Following the 2012 season, Morgan played for Portland Thorns FC for three seasons. She finished the 2013 season as the team leader in points and joint leader in goals with eight goals and five assists. In her second season, Morgan had fifteen goals. Her third season was interrupted by the 2015 FIFA World Cup.
In 2016, Morgan was traded to the Orlando Pride and continues to play with the club. She scored four goals in fifteen appearances in 2016. Morgan as also announced that she would be on loan to a French team named Lyon.
Alex Morgan has also had some success off of the field, too. She teamed up with Simon & Schuster to write a series of books entitled The Kicks. The first book in the series debuted at number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list.