Normally, 13 might not seem like a lucky number, but wearing it on the back of her jersey has made Alex Morgan a household name in women’s professional soccer. Morgan, a 34-year-old forward, has appeared in three World Cups prior to this year’s tournament and is a three-time Olympian (she was on the gold-medal-winning team in 2012 and the bronze-medal-winning team in 2021). She has scored more than 121 goals in her time on the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) and ranks in the top 10 in USWNT history in goals, assists, and multi-goal games, according to US Soccer.
Morgan currently plays professionally in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for the San Diego Wave and previously played for the Orlando Pride. She made her World Cup debut in 2011 as the youngest member on the roster at age 22 and is best known for scoring the winning goal in the 2012 Olympic semifinal match against Canada, which led the US team to that gold medal title.
Off the field, Morgan has also been part of the USWNT’s impassioned fight for equal pay, which resulted in a historic equal-pay agreement with the US Soccer Federation and recently earned them an ESPY Award.
Morgan has become such an icon that there’s an 825-pound statue of her posing like the Statue of Liberty touring the US in honor of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In an interview for US Soccer ahead of the World Cup, Morgan was asked her favorite part about being a professional soccer player. She said: “Well, it’s getting to do what you love every single day, that’s very rare, I think, pretty rare in today’s world. Getting to be outside every day. Getting to inspire people around the world.” Morgan recently launched the sports media platform Togethxr and her own foundation, and she hopes to use her impact to fight for equality and diversity in sports in the same way she fought for equal pay with the USWNT. “I would like to be remembered for carving a path for the next generation of young girls, for being a good reflection of the community that I live in,” she told US Soccer.
Read further details about Morgan’s story on her website, and ahead, check out more fun facts about her.
– Additional reporting by Lauren Mazzo
Related: The USWNT Already Earned Their Biggest Win of the Year – Over Equal Pay, Not Soccer
