Soccer Star Alex Morgan Will Not Compete for Team USA at the Summer Games — Here's Why

The United States Women's National Soccer Team was one of the best representatives of American sports for decades. After dominating the sport on the biggest stages for over thirty years, it seems like the rest of the world has caught up with the USWNT.

The US women’s team won four World Cups (1991, 1999, 2015, 2019) and four Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012) in the last few decades.

Alex Morgan is one of the main reasons the team won the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and the 2012 gold medal. To many, her omission from the 2024 USWNT Olympic team roster came as a shock.

While Alex helped the USWNT achieve the greatest heights in the 2010s, the team's 2021 Olympics result and 2023 World Cup performance are the main reasons why the 34-year-old (35-year-old by the time the Olympic games begin), will not be on the pitch.

The 2021 Olympics resulted in a bronze medal for the aging squad and the 2023 World Cup was a disappointment by all measures. The favorites to win it all didn’t even make it to the Top 3, their worst-ever World Cup performance, and the FIFA Women's World Ranking dropped them to third, their worst-ever position.

The USWNT is even lower a year later, currently at No. 5.

In a press release announcing the team, head coach Emma Hayes named the 18-player roster plus four alternatives. She said, “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.”

The average age of the players on the roster is 26.8 years old. The 2021 average age was 30.8 years old. Clearly, Coach Hayes and USWNT took age into consideration.

In an interview with AP Coach Hayes also acknowledged the omission of Alex:

“First off, I want to talk about what an amazing player and human Alex Morgan has been. I’ve only had one opportunity to work with her in the last camp. I saw firsthand not just her qualities, but her professionalism. Her record speaks for itself."

She continued, "Second of all, it’s not easy making a decision that is only 16 outfield players and two goalkeepers on a roster of 18. 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 and selected other players."

After the team roster was announced Alex took to X to express her disappointment. “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.”

Her message also made it clear that she’ll be rooting for the team along with the rest of American loving soccer fans. “In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country. LFG”