Alex Morgan: The year that was

Earlier this week, Alex Morgan won CONCACAF Player of the Year for the second-straight year, her third overall.

A year ago, it was beginning to seem like younger players were catching up to Alex Morgan. U.S. women’s national team head coach Jill Ellis was focused on rebuilding her team after the disappointing early exit from the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ellis was investing her energy in youthful attackers like Mallory Pugh and Rose Lavelle and while long-time USWNT standouts like Morgan and Carli Lloyd were still assets to the squad, their value was mostly as impact subs and for strategic match-ups.

Morgan’s future was cast further in doubt when she ventured away from U.S. soil at the start of 2017. She gave up the first half of the NWSL season with the Orlando Pride to play for European powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais of France. Unable to see her every week, it was easy to forget how good she is.

However, Morgan helped Lyon to an historic treble, clinching the league, French Cup and Champions League titles. She chipped in her fair share of goals too, scoring 12 in 15 games played. Despite suffering a hamstring injury that forced her to exit the Champions League Final just 23 minutes in, playing across the globe gave Morgan a new pep in her step, and the rest of the 2017 was surely historic.

Although her numbers were impressive overseas, those 12 goals weren’t even considered in the CONCACAF voting process, because the only competitions considered in voting are national team performances and competitions with CONCACAF Member Associations, which in Morgan’s case would be the NWSL. After nursing her hamstring, Morgan adjusted seamlessly back into the U.S. soccer scene and ended the year with seven goals in 14 games played with Ellis’ side and nine goals and four assists in just 13 games played with the Pride.

As impressive as those numbers are, Morgan’s ability to score has never been up for debate. What has been up for debate it how Morgan would adapt late on in her career. Her game has always been highlighted by her pace, athleticism and ability to score goals from seemingly impossible angles. But what made 2017 such a standout year for her was how she finished in almost every clutch situation presented.

https://twitter.com/ORLPride/status/942788187964964864

In June, Morgan was not healthy to play in the USWNT friendlies in Europe, but was called on for the Tournament of the Nations, where she began her 2017 scoring streak, slipping one past Japan to begin a run of seven goals in the last seven WNT games of the year. Morgan’s goal was the icing on the cake in the USWNT’s 3-0 victory over Japan at StubHub Center in Carson.

Morgan didn’t just score clutch goals in red, white and blue; she also did it for Orlando. In the month of August alone, Morgan had either an assist or goal in every NWSL game. Her combination with Marta was particularly impressive. The two were a dream team for the Pride, leading them to an undefeated month of August and eventually becoming the most impressive offense in the league with 45 goals.

One clutch goal that can’t be forgotten came on Aug. 26, when Morgan scored the game-winner in the 87th minute over FC Kansas City. The Pride beat Kansas City 2-1 thanks to Morgan’s seventh goal in five games (the assist, of course, came from Marta). The goals continued to flow for Morgan throughout the rest of the year, most notably against Canada in November to finish off the year and give U.S. Soccer fans everywhere some hope.

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Morgan scored the only goal of the game against Canada on Nov. 9 and then earned an assist and goal on Nov. 12 to close out the games against Canada. She topped the USWNT with seven goals and now has 80 goals in red, white and blue, which puts her in seventh place on the all-time list.

https://twitter.com/landondonovan/status/928830785091596289

So, ’tis the season to reflect, get a little bit nostalgic and celebrate how the game can fool us into thinking someone Morgan may be declining, only for her to return with a vengeance. Morgan has had an outstanding year, and it’s clear she’ll be a crucial part of the USWNT’s success in 2018. Ellis, in her closing words of the 2017 season explained Morgan’s success by focusing on her mindset: “Alex is hungry to prove herself. She is a predator.”