The 34-year-old striker has been once again left out of the squad but could she force her way back in for the Olympics?
The moment an international squad hits an email inbox or social media timeline, there's a mad dash to see who has made the cut. The U.S. women's national team is no different. When Twila Kilgore's Gold Cup squad dropped on Wednesday, fans all over the U.S. raced to read who was involved.
Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith were there, of course. So too was Rose Lavelle. Oh, Alyssa Naeher was back to fight for a goalkeeping spot and, would you look at that, a returning Mal Swanson's name was included as a training player as she pushes toward full fitness.
The squad, in truth, contained most of the usual suspects. But it's one missing name that remains a major talking point.
That name, of course, is Alex Morgan. The USWNT legend was once again left out of the squad, as she was in December, too. The forward positions were loaded with young talent. Players like Smith, Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw and Mia Fishel were all there, as were veterans like Midge Purce and Lynn Williams. There was no Morgan, though, and this time around it didn't quite feel like a surprise.
Just a few months away from the Olympics, the 34-year-old striker remains out in the cold. It isn't a one-time thing, a chance for Kilgore, and Emma Hayes, to assess different options ahead of this summer's tournament. No, right now, it feels like Morgan has a legitimate fight on her hands. It seems that she'll have to overcome the odds if she wants one last tournament run with the USWNT.
GettyMorgan left out
As of February 22, it will have been one full year since Morgan scored in a USWNT shirt. That goal came in a 2-1 win over Brazil in the SheBelieves Cup, and it's hard to truly explain how much the USWNT has changed in the 12 months since that finish.
Vlatko Andonovski is gone after a disastrous World Cup that saw the U.S. attack, including Morgan, go totally dry. Emma Hayes, the Chelsea boss, has been brought in, although she won't make the move officially until May. In her stead, Twila Kilgore is running things, keeping the ship afloat by introducing a series of young, exciting players to a core of veterans eager to move past the last World Cup.
Morgan, though, hasn't been one of those veterans in these last few camps. She was involved in September and October, as the U.S. won three of four games against South Africa and Colombia. Her name, though, was absent from the USWNT squad for the final friendlies of the year as the U.S. topped China twice without her.
They say once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and three times is a pattern. This, though, doesn't feel like a coincidence, but rather a changing of the guard.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesA changing of the guard
Morgan's exclusion, to be fair, has little to do with her own performance. Despite her USWNT goal drought, she's been fantastic in the NWSL, scoring 27 goals over the last two seasons while evolving her game to become a more complete forward.
Her absence, though, is largely due to the crop of rising stars coming up and staking their claim at the forward position.
We'll start with Smith, who, at just 23, is already pushing toward an elite level. She has an NWSL MVP and a U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year trophy already, and it feels like she's just getting started. Smith started out wide at the World Cup and never quite got going, which makes a potential move to striker, where she plays with the Portland Thorns, a decision that makes too much sense.
Rodman, too, is pushing toward that world-class level. The Washington Spirit star heated up in a big way at the end of 2023, putting a disappointing World Cup behind her. Rodman's potential feels endless, and it seems like she'll be a locked-in starter for the USWNT for years to come.
And then you have the newcomers, players like Fishel, Shaw and Alyssa Thompson, the latter of whom is out of the Gold Cup with a back injury. Fishel is developing at Chelsea under Hayes, a huge advantage. Shaw has seized her early USWNT chances, proving she belongs. And then Thompson, at just 19, already has World Cup minutes under her belt as she looks to make another big leap this season.
Throw in the returning Swanson, too. Before her horrible injury last year, she looked destined to start at the World Cup. She's still not fully fit, but she's getting there. When Swanson is healthy, the U.S. have a hell of a forward on their hands.
All of this leads to one conclusion: this is a talented, talented group. We didn't even get into the more senior players, names like Williams, Purce or Ashley Hatch. They all have legit Olympic dreams, too.
Hayes, though, will have some huge decisions to make at the forward position heading into next summer.
Olympic roster spots
The USWNT's Gold Cup squad features 23 players, including three training players: Swanson, Savannah DeMelo and Gisele Thompson. Alyssa Thompson is out injured, as is Catarina Macario. Players like Becky Sauerbrunn, Sofia Huerta, Andi Sullivan and Ashley Sanchez will feel they're in the mix, too. And then, of course, there's Morgan, who will be looking for one last push to a major tournament.
There's a big problem, though. Olympic squads feature just 18 players. Hayes, when the time comes, is going to have to make some very, very hard cuts. Those rosters, typically, feature two goalkeepers, which leaves just 16 outfield spots for Hayes to play with to construct her squad.
Versatility will be key, as will flexibility and, the issue for Morgan at the moment is that there aren't too many ways to get her onto the field. She's a striker, a true No. 9. She can't step into a central midfield spot, even as pseudo-No. 10. She can't play on the wing, not that the U.S. would really want her to, given the young talent out there. Even if you wanted to bring her in as a veteran presence, can you afford to waste a precious roster spot on a player who would simply be there to provide experience?
It makes the road difficult, very difficult. It's not impossible, though. The USWNT isn't counting anyone in or out just yet.
Getty ImagesKilgore responds
It was one of the obvious questions once the roster release, and it was quickly asked of Kilgore: with Morgan left out once again, what does this mean for her USWNT career?
Kilgore was quick to point out that Morgan has not been written off. The U.S. has not moved on from her, nor anyone else. The squad of the moment may not be the squad of the summer, which gives Morgan, and others in her situation, a bit of hope.
"In terms of Alex, and I guess this goes for really everybody that's not here, everything that happens in the Gold Cup will matter in terms of the future and everything that is happening outside of the Gold Cup will matter in the future," Kilgore said. "We recognize that there are multiple players that aren't going to be in the environment that we are still looking at but are still very much so in the mix…
"Of course with preseason underway, there are going to be opportunities for preseason matches for those that aren't in camp with us. If you're playing in Europe, there are opportunities there and then our league is starting pretty shortly here. We will be watching and we want to pick the best team and it's going to be very competitive."
She added: "We have quite a few players that are not in camp that we're still looking at and evaluating in terms of leading up towards the Olympics. Nobody is out of the mix. That goes for some of our bigger names, that goes for lesser names that we've been tracking. We want to get it right, and everybody's still involved. This is more about that there can only be 23 people on the roster and as we head towards the Olympics, only 18. We just simply can't include everybody and this is the group that we feel is the right group for right now and who we need to look at in this tournament."