Background

Alex Morgan was born Alexandra Patricia Morgan Carrasco on July 2, 1989, in San Dimas, California, United States, to Michael T. Morgan and Pamela S. Morgan. She grew up in the city of Diamond Bar with her elder sisters - Jeni and Jeri.

Education

Morgan spent her childhood in Diamond Bar, a city in eastern Los Angeles County. As a child, she was involved in various sports, including soccer, baseball and basketball, but at the age of 14, she finally made a choice in favor of soccer. Alex began playing in the Cypress Elite, in which she won the Coast Soccer League among teams under 16 years old. In the tournament among teams under 19 years old, she took 3rd place.

Morgan attended Diamond Bar High School and played for the high school soccer team. She was three times in the teams of the state and national championship according to the National Association of Football Coaches of the United States. Morgan later played on the Olympic Development Program teams for her district and state.

At the age of 17, Morgan was called up to the United States under-20 women's national soccer team. During a friendly against the United States junior men's team, Alex suffered a cruciate ligament rupture and did not play until April 2008.

From 2007 to 2010, Morgan studied at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Political Economy. During this time she was on the California Golden Bears University team. For all 4 years, Alex was the leader of the team and its top scorer, despite the regular absence due to calls first to the youth and then the main United States national team.

Before starting her professional career, Morgan also played for the semi-professional California clubs West Coast, California Storm and Pali Blues.

Career

In 2011, Morgan was drafted first overall in the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer draft by the Western New York Flash. She scored her first goal on May 1, 2011, during the team's home opener - a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Beat. Throughout the 2011 season, she played in 14 matches and scored four goals. That same year, she was on the United States women's national team in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

After the Women's Professional Soccer suspended operations, Morgan joined the Seattle Sounders Women for the 2012 season. She made three regular-season appearances for the club. Alex scored two goals and served two assists in her 253 minutes on the pitch. In the same year, Morgan landed a spot on the United States Olympic women's soccer team. At the Summer Olympic Games, she won her first Olympic medal, a gold, with the American team. They beat Japan, 2-1, in a revengeful match.

In 2013, Morgan joined the Portland Thorns FC for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League. She scored her first goal helping her team defeat the Seattle Reign FC 2-1. She finished the season with eight goals and five assists. On August 28, 2013, Alex was named to the NWSL Second XI.

Morgan returned to the Thorns for the 2014 season and scored six goals in her 15 appearances.

During the 2015 season, Morgan made four appearances for the Thorns. She scored one goal during a 3-3 draw against the Washington Spirit on August 31. Due to a knee injury, Morgan was not at full strength by the start of the 2015 FIFA World Cup. But she returned to the starting lineup by the close of group play and went on to claim the first World Cup title since 1999.

On October 26, 2015, Alex was transferred to the Orlando Pride team in exchange for the Pride's number one choice in the Expansion and University Drafts, as well as a space for internationals in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. She scored four goals in her 15 appearances for the Pride.

Alex Morgan and her teammates won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. In the quarterfinals versus Sweden, she scored a crucial game-tying goal in the 78th minute. However, the Americans wound up losing the match on penalty kicks.

In December 2016, it was announced that Alex Morgan signed a contract to play in Ligue 1 of France with Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon). On June 1, 2017, the footballer managed to win the Women's Champions League, after beating PSG in the final.

In September 2017, Morgan announced that she would terminate the contract with Lyon and return to Orlando for the start of the 2018 season. She spent most of the 2019 season on international duty, including the World Cup. She scored five goals as the Americans trounced Thailand, 13-0, in their 2019 World Cup opening match. Alex also added a goal in the semifinals versus England and helped keep the pressure on the Netherlands in the final as the United States pulled away for a 2-0 win and their fourth overall World Cup title.

In 2019, she only featured in six games for Orlando and failed to score. She ended a Pride season scoreless.

Morgan returned to training with the Pride in early September 2020 ahead of the Fall Series. On September 12, 2020, she signed with English FA Women's Super League team Tottenham Hotspur. Alex made her debut on November 7, 2020. She appeared as a 69th-minute substitute in a 1-1 WSL draw against Reading. On November 14, Morgan made her first start for Spurs, playing in a 2-2 draw with Bristol City.

It's also worth noting, that, in 2012, Morgan created a book series for middle schoolers, which is focused on four young girls and themes of friendship, leadership, and soccer. She also signed several endorsement deals with businesses, including Nike, Panasonic, AT&T, Chobani, McDonald's, P&G, Mondelez International, and Coca-Cola. In 2018, Morgan starred in the direct-to-video film Alex & Me, where she portrays a poster of herself who comes to life.

Achievements

• Alex Morgan is one of the most recognizable faces in the sports of soccer. At 22, Morgan was the youngest player on the United States 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 balloting. In the London 2012 Olympics, she scored two goals in a 4-0 win against Canada.
  
  She was named United States Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and was a FIFA World Player of the Year finalist. Alex also helped the United States win their titles at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups. She won the CONCACAF Women's Championship Golden Boot in 2016 and Silver Boot in 2019.
  
  In 2015, Morgan was ranked by Time as the top-paid American women's soccer player. Morgan, along with Christine Sinclair and Steph Catley, became the first women's soccer players to appear on the cover of FIFA video games in 2015. She also was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2019.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Hat Trick

    (The Kicks are dedicated to soccer and to friendship - but...)

    2015
  • Breakaway: Beyond the Goal

    (From her beginnings with the American Youth Soccer Organi...)

    2015
  • Win or Lose

    (The Kicks have the league championship within reach - but...)

    2014
  • Homecoming

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2020
  • Switching Goals

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2019
  • Under Pressure

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2017
  • In the Zone

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2018
  • Choosing Sides

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2018
  • Settle the Score

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2016
  • Saving the Team

    (From star soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Alex Mo...)

    2013
  • Shaken Up

    (From World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and bests...)

    2015
  • Fans in the Stands

    (From FIFA World Cup Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and ...)

    2021
  • Sabotage Season

    (The Kicks' championship hopes are being sabotaged in the ...)

    2013

• movie

  • Alex & Me

    (Alex and Me is an uplifting story of the passion and driv...)

    2018

Politics

In 2017, Morgan with her husband went to Tanzania as Sports Envoys with the United States State Department's Sports Diplomacy Office. They hosted soccer clinics and visited schools. Their visit contributed to Sports Diplomacy's mission to promote gender equality and inclusion through sport.

Views

Alex Morgan donates one percent of her salary to soccer charities. She also supports Alex Morgan Soccer camp. 20% of the profit from the camp goes towards Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wish of a child with a life-threatening disease.

Morgan is a member of UNICEF Kid Power, which is an effort to fight global malnutrition and as well as raise awareness among kids.

Quotations: "Everybody has a talent, but it's what you do with that talent to make it great."

"Always work hard, never give up, and fight until the end because it's never really over until the whistle blows."

"Whatever brings you down, will eventually make you stronger."

"Dream big, because dreams do happen."

"Keep working even when no one is watching."

"I want to keep improving, continue to help my teammates improve, make my teammates look good. Continue bringing something new to the game, never getting completely content and always trying to get better."

"Soccer is what I grew up doing - it's my passion, and I'm way more comfortable on the field in my soccer cleats."

"...Really get to know and establish relationships with your teammates because they are your new family and they will be the ones there for you when anything goes wrong."

"The way I've been brought up to is to take critiques and turn them into positives in my game."

"I don't run straight at a constant pace; soccer is always a change of pace and movement."

"I think a goal is a goal and not all my goals are pretty."

"We're going to be World Champions...forever."

"Messi is out of this world. Scoring 86 goals this year... In 2012. What an incredible accomplishment."

"We went to Austria to train and it was so peaceful. And I love coffee and the coffee was great."

Personality

Alex Morgan is a vegan.

Alex's favorite type of food is Mexican.

Physical Characteristics: Alex Morgan is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall and weighs 62 kg (137 lbs). She has blue eyes and brown hair.

Interests

• doing yoga, spending time with her dog, hanging out with her family

• Writers

  Harper Lee, Khaled Hosseini

• Sport & Clubs

  soccer, beach volleyball, FC Barcelona

• Athletes

  Lionel Messi, Mia Hamm

• Music & Bands

  Ben Howard, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Elllie Goulding

Connections

On December 31, 2014, Morgan married soccer player Servando Carrasco. The couple has a daughter - Charlie Elena Carrasco.

Father:

Michael T. Morgan

Mother:

Pamela S. Morgan

Spouse:

Servando Carrasco

(born August 13, 1988)

Servando Carrasco is a soccer player who currently plays as a midfielder for Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One.

Daughter:

Charlie Elena Carrasco

(born May 7, 2020)

Friend:

Tobin Heath

(born May 29, 1988)

Tobin Heath is an American professional soccer player for Manchester United of the English FA Women's Super League and the United States national team.

Friend:

Kelley O'Hara

(born August 4, 1988)

Kelley O'Hara is an American soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist.

References

• Alex Morgan's Facebook
• Alex Morgan's Twitter
• Alex Morgan's Instagram
• Alex Morgan's Official Website