Alex Morgan is an icon, a legend, and a pioneer. The striker has helped take women’s soccer to new heights while carrying the flag as the sport’s most recognizable athlete during its dark ages for many years. It is this reputation to go with her skill set that has seen her be an integral part of the USWNT for the last 14 years. Morgan has set such a high standard for herself and the USWNT that it seems unthinkable she’d be left off the Olympic roster. However, new manager Emma Hayes ultimately decided to do so, citing adaptability as the main reason for not selecting Morgan. While Hayes’ reasoning is valid, the bottom line is that Morgan’s omission was coming, and here’s why.
Youth Movement
Flashback to the last World Cup cycle for the USWNT. While there were a few warning signs about the older generation of players and concerns about the rest of the world catching up, the sentiment was this team would at least be able to make the semifinals or the final. We all know a disaster ensued, and many questioned the roster. The last played from that golden generation–other than Alyssa Naeher, who is incredible–is Alex Morgan. The World Cup showed us the roster needed to get younger, and Emma Hayes immediately identified that based on the Olympic roster. The…
