Alex Morgan's Collegiate Soccer Legacy: The Foundation of a Champion

Alex Morgan stands as a titan in women's soccer, her name synonymous with skill, leadership, and unwavering determination. Before she became a global icon, lifting World Cups and Olympic gold medals, her journey began on the college fields of the University of California, Berkeley. This article explores Morgan's impactful college career, highlighting her achievements and the foundation it laid for her professional success.

Early Life and High School Career

Alexandra Patricia "Alex" Morgan was born on July 2, 1989, in San Dimas, California, and raised in nearby Diamond Bar. Although she participated in various sports during her childhood, she didn't focus on soccer until her teenage years. Morgan attended Diamond Bar High School, where she quickly gained recognition for her exceptional speed and sprinting ability. She earned three all-league selections and All-American honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Morgan also honed her skills through the Olympic Development Program (ODP), which she later credited as an integral part of her development as a soccer player. She emphasized the importance of programs like ODP, especially for players who enter the club scene later, as it provided opportunities to play with the best players and learn from the best coaches.

Collegiate Career at the University of California, Berkeley (2007-2010)

From 2007 to 2010, Alex Morgan starred for the California Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at Cal, she consistently delivered as the Golden Bears' top scorer. Morgan led the Cal Bears in scoring during her first season with the team. She showcased her clutch ability during a match against Stanford in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, scoring an equalizer with less than two minutes left in regulation time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Statistical Dominance and Accolades

Alex Morgan consistently delivered as the Golden Bears’ top scorer, finishing her career tied for third all-time in goals (45) and third in points (107). Her statistical dominance underscored her pivotal role in the team's offensive strategy. She scored three goals in a game five times.

A four-time All-Pac-10 selection, she earned First Team All-American honors in 2010, was a two-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and became the first Cal player to be named a top-three finalist. Morgan was also a Honda Award finalist, led the Bears in scoring each season, and guided them to the NCAA Tournament all four years. After being named a candidate for the Hermann Trophy during her junior year, Morgan became the first Golden Bear to be one of the top three finalists for the award. She was one of four soccer finalists for the 2010-11 Honda Sports Award, given to the top college female athletes in a number of sports. Her exceptional performance led to numerous accolades, solidifying her reputation as one of the nation's top collegiate players.

NCAA Tournament Appearances

Morgan guided the Golden Bears to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years at Berkeley, demonstrating her ability to perform under pressure and lead her team to the national stage.

Professional Career

After graduating early from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Political Economy, Morgan was drafted number one overall in the 2011 WPS Draft by the Western New York Flash.

Club Career (2011-2024)

Alex Morgan began her professional career with the Western New York Flash in 2011, where she was the first overall pick in the WPS Draft. There, she made her professional debut and helped the team win the league championship. In 2012, after the WPS suspended operations, Morgan joined her national teammates Hope Solo, Sydney Leroux, Megan Rapinoe and Stephanie Cox on the Seattle Sounders Women for the 2012 season. Of her signing, Morgan said, "I am excited to play in a city that is so passionate about soccer. The Sounders have been one of, if not the best fan support in MLS. Due to her national team commitments and preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Morgan made three regular season appearances for the club.

Transitioning to the Portland Thorns FC in 2013 (to 2015), Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair were the top scorers that year, each securing 8 goals during the season. Morgan played for the Thorns through the 2015 season, after which she was traded to the expansion team Orlando Pride. Joining the Orlando Pride in 2016, Morgan contributed four goals in 15 appearances. While under contract with the Pride, Morgan played short stints on loan for two European clubs, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (Lyon) in France (2016-17) and Tottenham Hotspur in England (2020-21). In 2017, Morgan signed with French team Lyon, where she won the continental European treble, which included the UEFA Women's Champions League. During her brief stint with Lyon in 2017, she scored five goals in eight regular-season appearances, contributing to the team's league title and French Cup victory. Morgan spent most of the 2019 season on international duty, including the World Cup, before ending the season injured. On September 12, 2020, Morgan signed with English FA Women's Super League team Tottenham Hotspur. Her signing with Tottenham Hotspur in 2020 was marked by her first goal for the club in a 3-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Returning to Orlando Pride in 2021, she made an impactful start by scoring in each of the first four games of the regular season and earning the NWSL Player of the Month title for May 2021.

In late 2021 Morgan left the Pride and joined the San Diego (California) Wave FC. Morgan signed with San Diego Wave FC in 2022, scoring the winning goal in the 2024 Challenge Cup and continuing her legacy as a dynamic force in women's soccer. She scored a career-high 15 goals (including five from penalty kicks) in 17 games for the Wave in the 2022 regular season. The following season, Morgan led the Wave to an 11-4-7 record and the NWSL Shield as the top team of the 2023 regular-season standings.

On September 5, 2024, Morgan announced on social media that she would be retiring following the Wave match on September 8. At the time she announced her retirement, her total of 60 career goals in the NWSL ranked fourth in league history. Morgan's final game was against the North Carolina Courage. During the pre-match ceremony, Morgan was given a Jersey with the number 63 to commemorate her 63rd appearance for the Wave, while a video compilation of Morgan's retirement announcement and career highlights was displayed on the scoreboards. She started her last match as a captain and was substituted after 13 minutes, in honor of the number she wore throughout her career. Addressing the crowd after the game, she said, "There have been so many incredible moments in my career but this last moment I share on the field with you I will cherish forever. Her final match was the first women's sporting event in history to be broadcast on multiple TV channels and streaming services in the United States. It was shown on ESPN2, ESPN+, CBS Sports Network and Amazon Prime Video.

International Career

Morgan began playing nationally early in her career. In 2006, at 17 years old, Morgan was called up to the United States under-20 women's national soccer team. Morgan was named to the United States U-20 women's national team that competed in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile, scoring a total of four goals in the tournament against France, Argentina and North Korea.

She has been capped by the senior national team, first appearing as a substitute in a match versus Mexico in March 2010, and scored her first international goal after coming on as a substitute against China, which salvaged a 1-1 draw in October 2010. Her most important goal to date came a month later in a crucial road match against Italy. Morgan was the youngest player on the national team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the team was runner-up.

At the 2012 London Olympics, she scored the match-winning goal in the 123rd minute of the semi-final match against Canada. women's team win the Women’s World Cup in both 2015 and 2019. In the opening game against Thailand in 2019, she scored five goals, tying the record for most individual goals in a Women’s World Cup game.

At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan (delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), Morgan scored a goal in a group-stage match against New Zealand.

During the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Morgan's performance earned her widespread recognition as the first player to ever record a goal and an assist in a world cup final, despite being the youngest player on the team.Morgan played and started in all seven world cup final matches in 2015, scored a goal and won several penalties. In 2019, she returned to the world cup to successfully defend her team’s title.

Morgan made her fourth World Cup appearance in 2023. She started all three group stage games, as well as the Round of 16 game against Sweden. After teammate Mia Fishel tore her ACL during the final day of training for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, Morgan was called to the squad as her replacement. She wore the number 7 jersey instead of her usual 13.

Awards and Honors

Morgan has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including being named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year twice (2012 and 2018) and being a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Off the Field

Writing Career

In addition to playing soccer, Morgan was an author. In 2011, James Frey, whose daughter was a fan of Morgan, approached her with the idea of creating a book series based around soccer for young girls. The two worked together to create it and, in 2012, Morgan signed with Simon & Schuster to pen The Kicks, a four-book series for middle-grade readers. The series is focused on four young girls and features themes of friendship, leadership, and soccer. She wrote The Kicks series of books for middle-school kids that revolved around soccer and the importance of teamwork. Titles in the series included Saving the Team (2013), Shaken Up (2015), Under Pressure (2017), and Switching Goals (2019). She also created a comedy television series based on the books, called The Kicks (2015-16).

Endorsements and Media Appearances

Morgan has been featured in a number of magazines. In 2011, Morgan co-starred with national teammate Hope Solo in a television commercial promoting ESPN's SportsCenter. Morgan and teammate Carli Lloyd were guests on Live with Kelly and Michael following the 2012 Summer Olympics in September 2012. In 2013, Morgan appeared in the ESPN documentary series, Nine for IX. The Nine for IX documentary, The 99ers, in which she appeared focused on the success and legacy of the national team squad that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. In January 2015, she guest-starred on an episode of Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn entitled The Quad Test. In April 2015, Morgan joined Abby Wambach on American Idol to announce that the show's season winner would record the official song for Fox's coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In May of the same year, her likeness appeared on The Simpsons along with Christen Press and Abby Wambach. Morgan was a presenter at the 2015 ESPY Awards and received an ESPY with her teammates for Best Team. In 2018, Morgan made an appearance in the music video for the Maroon 5 song "Girls Like You", which features Cardi B.

In July 2015, Morgan, and her Portland Thorns teammates Christine Sinclair and Steph Catley became the first female athletes to appear on the cover of EA Sports' latest FIFA video game, FIFA 16. FIFA 16 was the first edition of the franchise to include women's international teams in the game. In FIFA 19, Morgan was featured throughout The Journey as an interactive character and is credited with a voice role.

Alex Morgan Foundation

An advocate for equality in the athletic world, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation in 2023 with the goal of creating equity and opportunity for young women in athletics. In addition to her incredible domination of women’s soccer, Alex cofounded TOGTHXR, a media and commerce company, and launched the Alex Morgan Foundation, a nonprofit committed to helping girls and women find confident paths forward in sport and in life.

Lessons from Other Collegiate Stars

From Berkeley to Portland, UCLA to Penn State, the accomplishments of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Holiday, Leslie Osborne, Lori Chalupny, and Joanna Lohman underscore the pivotal role college soccer plays in developing the stars of the professional game. Their jersey retirements in the NWSL celebrate careers that inspired countless fans, but each of those journeys was rooted in the college game.

Megan Rapinoe (Portland)

Few players made a quicker impression at the University of Portland than Megan Rapinoe, who helped the Pilots capture the 2005 NCAA Championship during her freshman season.

Lauren Holiday (UCLA)

At UCLA, Lauren Holiday (then Cheney) put together one of the most accomplished careers in program history. She remains the Bruins’ all-time leader in goals (71) and points (173), earning four straight First Team All-America selections and four consecutive First Team All-Pac-10 honors.

Leslie Osborne (Santa Clara)

Leslie Osborne was a standout player for the Santa Clara Broncos from 2001 to 2004, helping them secure the 2001 NCAA Championship as a freshman. She was a three-time All-American and the 2004 Honda Sports Award winner as the nation’s top player.

Lori Chalupny (North Carolina)

At the University of North Carolina, Lori Chalupny developed into one of the most reliable midfielders of her era. She tallied 30 goals and 32 assists over her career, starting 82 of 89 matches. A two-time First Team NSCAA All-American and three-time First Team All-ACC pick, Chalupny was the 2005 ACC Tournament MVP and played a vital role in UNC’s run to the 2003 NCAA Championship and a perfect 27-0-0 record.

Joanna Lohman (Penn State)

Joanna Lohman distinguished herself at Penn State both on the field and in the classroom. A three-time NSCAA All-American and four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, she was the 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the 2003 Big Ten Player of the Year. Lohman was a two-time finalist for both the Hermann Trophy and Honda Sports Award, underscoring her place among the nation’s elite.

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