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Alex Morgan has been left off the United States women’s national team’s 2024 Olympic roster, marking the team’s first major tournament without the star forward since the 2008 Olympics, before she debuted for the team.
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes named her 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday, calling upon 10 players who participated in last year’s World Cup.
Morgan, who turns 35 next week, is not among them.
Morgan’s 224 caps and 123 goals are each the most among active U.S. players and rank ninth and fifth, respectively, in program history.
Alex Morgan is a three-time Olympian and helped the U.S. capture gold in 2012 in London. Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images
“Making an Olympic roster is a huge privilege and an honor and there is no denying that it was an extremely competitive process among the players and that there were difficult choices, especially considering how hard everyone has worked over the past 10 months,” Hayes said in a statement.
Midfielder Catarina Macario and forward Mallory Swanson both made the USWNT’s Olympic roster after missing the 2023 World Cup because of major injuries.
Hayes’ roster features several veterans, including goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, captain and midfielder Lindsey Horan, and Crystal Dunn — who is listed as a forward, not a defender — making their third Olympic rosters.
Hayes formally assumed her USWNT coaching role late last month after accepting the job in November. She hopes to guide the USWNT to its first Olympic gold medal since the 2012 London Games.
Morgan reacted to the exclusion Wednesday, saying on social media: “Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage. 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”The Americans are looking to bounce back from their worst finish in a major tournament after exiting the 2023 World Cup in the round of 16.
The average age of the USWNT’s Olympic roster is 26.8 years old, per U.S. Soccer, the youngest at an Olympics since 2008 and four years younger than the team’s previous Olympic roster.
Fullback Jenna Nighswonger, midfielder Korbin Albert, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Jaedyn Shaw all made their first major-tournament roster.
Coffey had a brief injury scare earlier this month but returned to playing for her club, Portland Thorns FC, on Saturday.
Albert has earned significant playing time for the USWNT this year but came under scrutiny in March for social media activity that appeared to be anti-LGBTQIA+.Albert later apologized, and Horan and Morgan briefly addressed media from the following USWNT camp to say that they were disappointed, and the matter would be handled internally.
Hayes has since talked about creating an inclusive environment, a point she made moments after Albert was booed by home fans in Colorado during a match vs. South Korea earlier this month.
