Star forward left off of USWNT for first time since 2008

On Wednesday, the U.S. women's national team revealed its roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Surprisingly, veteran star forward Alex Morgan didn't make the cut.

Per Bleacher Report, this marks the USWNT's first major international tournament without Morgan since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In a post on her X account, Morgan admitted she is disappointed but still "[looks] forward to rooting for this team."

The Olympics feature 18-player rosters, compared to 23 for the FIFA World Cup. Fewer spots forced USWNT manager Emma Hayes to make some difficult choices.

"First off, I want to talk about what an amazing player and human that Alex Morgan has been. I've only had one opportunity to work with her, in the last camp, and I saw first-hand not just her qualities but her professionalism, and her record speaks for itself," Hayes told Anne M. Peterson of the Associated Press. "So, it was a tough decision, of course, especially considering Alex's history and record with this team. But I felt that I wanted to go in another direction."

Morgan – who leads active U.S. players in goals (135 in 224 caps), per ESPN's Jeff Kassouf – played in international friendlies against South Korea earlier this month. However, she turns 35 on July 2. Hayes clearly wants to rejuvenate the USWNT after the 2023 World Cup, where it lost in the round of 16.

U.S. soccer's website notes the roster's average age is 26.8 years old, the youngest at an Olympics since 2008. For context, the average age of the 2020 Olympic team was 30.8 years old.

With Morgan off the squad, the U.S. figures to rely on forward Sophia Smith. The budding star was named 2022 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year and has 19 goals in 48 appearances.