Early Life
Alexandra Patricia Morgan was born in San Dimas, California on July 2, 1989. Morgan, while being a multisport athlete as a child, did not begin playing organized soccer until she was 14 years old. She graduated from Diamond Bar High School, where she was a three-time all-league selection and an NSCAA All-American.
College Star at UC Berkeley
Morgan attended the University of California at Berkeley after high school, where she guided the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years (and to the second round twice). She helped the United States win the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2008, scoring the game-winning goal against North Korea, which FIFA awarded the Goal of the Tournament and the second-best Goal of the Year.
Morgan finished her UC Berkeley career in the fall of 2010, tied for third on the school’s all-time scoring chart with 45 goals and 107 points. (She missed many Berkeley games her senior year to play for the national team; otherwise, she would have finished first on both lists.) Morgan was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection and a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention.
Professional and International Stardom
Morgan was selected first overall by the Western New York Flash in the 2011 Women’s Professional Soccer draft. She played for the United States women’s national team at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She scored her first World Cup goal in the semifinal match against France, and the squad advanced to the finals (only to lose in a shootout to Japan).
Morgan joined the Seattle Sounders Women of the United Soccer Leagues W-League when the WPS league ceased play at the end of the 2011 season, along with other US national team members such as Hope Solo, Sydney Leroux, Stephanie Cox, and Megan Rapinoe. She later joined the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns FC and the Orlando Pride.
2012 Olympic Gold Medalist
Morgan was named to the United States Olympic women’s soccer team in 2012. Morgan won her first Olympic medal, a gold, with the American team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In a retaliatory match witnessed by approximately 80,300 people—the greatest soccer attendance in Olympic history—the squad defeated Japan 2-1. The triumph was the fourth of the American women’s team’s five Olympic titles since women’s soccer was first included in the Olympics in 1996.
2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympics
Morgan was not fully recovered from a knee injury sustained in the spring of 2015 by the start of the FIFA World Cup in June. However, by the end of group play, the star striker had returned to the starting lineup and helped the United States women win their first World Cup title since 1999.
Morgan and her colleagues were favored to win gold at the 2016 Olympic Games three years later. She scored the game-tying goal in the 78th minute against Sweden in the quarterfinals. However, the Americans were defeated on penalties, marking the team’s earliest elimination from Olympic competition in its history.
2019 World Cup
Morgan set the tone as co-captain of a squad determined to defend its title, scoring a record-tying five goals as the United States defeated Thailand 13-0 in their 2019 World Cup opener. Morgan scored a critical goal against England in the quarterfinals, which she celebrated with a “tea-sipping” gesture, and helped put the pressure on the Netherlands in the final, which the US won 2-0 for their fourth World Cup championship overall.
Wage Discrimination Lawsuit
Morgan and many of her colleagues filed a wage discrimination complaint against US Soccer in March 2016, noting disparities in salary for players on the women’s and men’s national teams. Morgan was one of 28 women’s national team participants who filed a gender discrimination claim against US Soccer in March 2019.
In May 2020, a federal judge in California decided against the players on the majority of the important elements of the lawsuit, including their claim of Equal Pay Act discrimination. Shortly later, the players filed an appeal.
‘The Kicks’ Books and Amazon Series
Morgan got a deal with Simon & Schuster in 2012 to create a series of soccer-themed novels for young readers. The first, The Kicks: Saving the Team (2013), was a New York Times best-seller, and The Kicks was adapted for a 10-episode Amazon run in 2015.
Morgan also released a memoir that year, Breakaway: Beyond the Goal.
Personal Life
Morgan has been married to Servando Carrasco, a fellow professional soccer player, since December 31, 2014. They met for the first time at UC Berkeley.
Morgan gave birth to a daughter, Charlie Elena, on May 7, 2020, after announcing her pregnancy in October 2019.
