Alex Morgan left off USWNT Olympics roster in surprising decision

Legendary USWNT striker Alex Morgan will miss the Olympics for the first time since 2008.

New head coach Emma Hayes, 47, announced the official 18-player roster for the upcoming Summer Olympics on Wednesday, and the two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist was not included.

“Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage,” Morgan, 34, wrote on X following the roster announcement. “This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest.”

“In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country. LFG.”

Morgan ranks in the top ten in USWNT history in goals (123), assists (53), appearances (223). This summer would have marked her fourth Olympic Games.

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With only 18 spots available on the Olympic team, compared to 23 for the World Cup, Hayes had tough decisions to make.

“ Choosing an 18-player roster plus alternates involved many considerations, but I am excited for the group we have selected and I’m looking forward to building on the work from last camp as we head into the Send-Off matches and then onto France. These are great opportunities for us to continue to show the progress we are making,” Hayes said.

Morgan scored a league-best 15 goals in the 2022 NWSL season with San Diego Wave FC and tallied seven goals in 2023. However, in the eight games she has played this season, the striker has yet to score a goal.

While Morgan’s wealth of international experience makes a compelling case for a spot on the Olympic roster, her age, a recent ankle injury and this year’s goal drought likely kept her off the roster.

Adrianna Franch, Abby Dahlkemper, Kristie Mewis and Becky Sauerbrunn — who captained the USWNT at the Tokyo Olympics — were other surprising omissions from the roster.

“I felt that I wanted to go in another direction and selected other players,” Hayes said in a press conference when asked about her decision to leave Morgan off the roster.

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The USWNT’s generational shift is evident in this roster, with many young players making their Olympic debut.

The squad’s first time Olympians include goalkeeper Casey Murphy, defenders Emily Fox, Naomi Girma and Jenna Nighswonger, midfielders Korbin Albert and Sam Coffey and forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw.

Washington Spirit’s rookies Hal Hershfelt and Croix Bethune will also experience their first Olympic Games as alternates.

Key veterans Alyssa Naeher, Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Mallory Swanson and captain Lindsey Horan will return to the squad.

Eleven players from the 2020 Olympic roster — a team that won bronze after losing to Canada in the semifinals — will not return.

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That includes former USWNT stars Julie Ertz, Sam Mewis, Carli Loyd and Megan Rapinoe, who have all recently retired.

Gotham FC wingback and USWNT stalwart Kelly O’Hara, who is also not on the roster, plans to retire after the 2024 NWSL season.

Tobin Heath and Christen Press, two other USWNT stars, were not in contention to make the 2024 Olympic roster due to injuries.

The 2024 Olympic Games will be Hayes’ first major international tournament as USWNT head coach after being hired in December.

She coached her first games with the team in June, recording two wins against South Korea.

Hayes is best known for her 12-year stint as head coach with Chelsea Women, winning the FA Women’s Super League seven times, including five consecutive titles starting in 2019.

The U.S. will open Group B play on July 25 against Zambia (9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET) at Stade de Nice in Nice, France.

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