Alex Morgan

Alexandra Patricia Morgan, born on July 2, 1989, in San Dimas, California, is a retired American professional soccer player. She represented the United States in three FIFA Women's World Cups (2015, 2019, and 2023), winning the tournament in 2015 and 2019. From 2018 to 2020, she served as co-captain of the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe, and again with Lindsey Horan in 2023. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Morgan helped the U.S. team secure the gold medal, tallying 28 goals and 21 assists that year—becoming the second American woman since Mia Hamm to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a single calendar year. That performance earned her the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year award in 2012, and she was also a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year. In 2015, *Forbes* reported her as the highest-paid American female soccer player, largely due to endorsement deals.

At the club level, Morgan was selected first overall in the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer Draft by the Western New York Flash, helping the team win the league championship. She then joined Portland Thorns FC for the inaugural National Women's Soccer League season, winning the 2013 league title before being traded to Orlando Pride. In 2017, she signed with French club Lyon, where she won the continental treble, including the UEFA Women's Champions League. While playing for San Diego Wave FC in 2022, she received the NWSL Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer and helped the team claim the NWSL Shield the following season. Off the field, she collaborated with Simon & Schuster on *The Kicks*, a children’s book series about four soccer players; the first book, *Saving the Team*, debuted at number seven on *The New York Times* Best Seller list in May 2013. A film starring Morgan, *Alex & Me*, was released in 2018. She was named one of *Time*’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019 and 2022, and retired from soccer in 2024.

Morgan grew up in Diamond Bar, California, with her two older sisters, Jennifer and Jeri, and began playing soccer through the American Youth Soccer Organization, with her father as one of her first coaches. She joined club soccer at age 14 with Cypress Elite, winning the Coast Soccer League under-16 championship and placing third at the under-19 level. At Diamond Bar High School, she was a three-time all-l