Alex Morgan And USWNT Eye Olympic Redemption After World Cup Loss

The United States women’s soccer team wants to move on from its 2023 World Cup heartbreak and return to the top of the Olympic podium at this year’s Paris Games, forward Alex Morgan told me in an interview.

After lifting back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2019, the USWNT travelled to Australia and New Zealand last year with hopes of completing a “three-peat” but the team was knocked out in the round of 16 after losing to Sweden on penalties.

The shock exit prompted concerns that the team’s best days were behind them.

A lot has happened since their World Cup failure – the USWNT has a new full-time coach, Emma Hayes, joining them in May and currently, they are being managed by interim coach Twila Kilgore.

“Having had the defeat that we did at the World Cup kind of makes us want to feel like, we want to prove to ourselves how far we can get and that we are worthy of competing and winning every game,” Morgan tells me.

“We have to bring our best every single game and have that World Cup and the bitterness behind us.

“We definitely want to feel what it feels like to have victory again, especially on the highest stage possible.”

Good Form

This year under the guidance of Kilgore, the USWNT has enjoyed a good run of form, having won two titles in a row. In March, the team won the CONCACAF W Gold Cup by beating Brazil in the final and last week lifted the SheBelieves Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Canada.

Those performances will likely boost the team’s morale ahead of the Paris 2024 Games.

“The Gold Cup, in particular, was a really good tournament to replicate what we might see in the Olympics with such a short turnaround between games,” Morgan said.

“Figuring out how to overcome defeat, as we did against Mexico, and having our mentality be able to continue to be strong… I think it was a really good tournament for us to be able to go through all of the ups and downs and be able to overcome that.

“Then you look at the penalties where a lot of these players stepped up in big moments… I think it has been a really good preparation for us as we go into the summer and the Olympics.”

At the Paris 2024 Games, the U.S. players will have their sights on the elusive gold medal after the Americans settled for bronze in Tokyo 2021 and returned empty-handed in Rio 2016. The U.S. has won four gold medals in women’s soccer at the Olympics, last triumphing at London 2012.

The USWNT, who are in Group B with Germany, Zambia and Australia at the Olympics, will play four friendlies in June and July before leaving for Paris. The Games are due to begin on July 26.

Asked about the team’s preparation so far, Morgan said: “We still have our coach that’s coming in… We have the team that still needs to be finalized with the roster. So there are definitely some things that need to be worked out.

“But I think we’re exactly where we need to be right now, a couple of months out from the Olympics.”

Pressure

Morgan said the team has undergone several changes since their World Cup disappointment last year, including a change in their style of play. The four-time world champions now “attack and look to expose teams”, she explained.

“There are a lot of things that have changed but I think the one thing that’s always remains consistent is our mentality and our drive to want to continue to win and bring trophies back to this country,” the 34-year-old added.

When the USWNT takes to the field in Paris, all eyes will be on them as they look to reclaim their position as the world’s most dominant women’s soccer team. The U.S. has slipped to fourth in the FIFA rankings behind world champions Spain, England and France.

The United States’ 2024 Olympic roster will likely feature a new generation of players such as Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma and others, as the team faces a change of guard.

Morgan, who was part of the gold medal-winning contingent in 2012, said that as one of the powerhouses in the game, the team is always under pressure.

“Each player that’s brought into this team, whatever age or experience they have had, they learned really quickly that with this team you’re forever on a tryout,” she said.

“You know your spot is never secured. You always have to prove it to the coach, the federation, and the fans. So in that way, I think we all understand the pressure that this team faces and how the expectation is always to win.”

Partnership With Nature Made

As a soccer player and a mother to a three-year-old, Morgan takes her health seriously. The San Diego Wave forward has partnered with Nature Made, a leading national vitamin and supplement broad-line brand.

“As a professional athlete, I want to continue to do anything and everything that helps me live a healthy lifestyle and Nature Made fits perfectly in that,” Morgan said.

Earlier this month, Nature Made announced its release of pickle-flavored multivitamin gummies, which feature a balance of salty and sour – a taste that Morgan loves.

“I had the chance to try the pickle flavored multivitamin and surprisingly, it tastes exactly like a pickle, which I think for some people could be disgusting,” Morgan shared with a laugh.

“I find that pickles are really delicious and so I enjoyed the vitamin gummies, but I’m kind of interested in getting other people’s take on it.”

The pickle-flavored multivitamin gummies sold out in seven hours during its first drop. The brand has announced that the second drop will go live on April 19, Friday at noon ET.