Alex Morgan left off U.S. soccer Olympic roster; Stanford well represented
The Bay Area will send several key players to Paris despite Morgan's absence from the roster under new coach Emma Hayes.
By ANNE M. PETERSON | AP Soccer Writer
U.S. national team forward Alex Morgan was left off coach Emma Hayes’ roster for the Paris Olympics.
Morgan, a four-time Olympic veteran and former Cal star, was the most notable absence on the 18-player roster that Hayes announced on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old Morgan missed more than a month with the San Diego Wave after she injured her left ankle on April 19, but she had since returned. She also was named to the squad Hayes assembled for a pair of U.S. friendlies against South Korea earlier this month.
Morgan, who has 123 goals in 224 appearances with the national team, missed the latest Wave match last weekend as an excused absence.
The Olympic roster is smaller than the 23 players who are included on teams for the Women’s World Cup and other competitions. Hayes saw just the games against South Korea with the team in person after she arrived in the United States from Chelsea.
“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.
“Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage,” Morgan said in a statement on social media. “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.”
Versatile veteran Crystal Dunn, who in recent years has played on the back line, was included as a forward, along with Trinity Rodman, former Stanford star Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was included on the squad despite a recent thigh injury that kept her out of the team’s last two matches. Naeher recently returned to play for her NWSL team, the Chicago Red Stars.
Hayes also selected goalkeeper Casey Murphy, while former Stanford keeper Jane Campbell was included among the team’s four alternates, with midfielders Hal Harshfelt and Croix Bethune, and forward Lynn Williams.
Stanford was well represented on the team, as Menlo Park native Tierna Davidson, San Jose native Naomi Girma and Brazilian-born Catarina Macario also made the roster along.
Hayes, named U.S. coach last November, stayed in Europe to wrap up her final season as coach of Chelsea, which won a fifth straight Women’s Super League title.
Former coach Vlatko Andonovski resigned from the U.S. team following last year’s disappointing finish at the Women’s World Cup. Twila Kilgore led the team in the interim while awaiting Hayes’ return, and now serves as an assistant coach.
Ten players who were on the World Cup roster were included on the Olympic team. The United States has won four Olympic gold medals, more than any other team.
The team will play a pair of send-off matches before leaving for France. They’ll play Mexico on July 13 at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, and then Costa Rica at Audi Field in Washington on July 16.
The United States opens the Olympics on July 25 against Zambia in Nice.
U.S. Olympic team
Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars)
Defenders: Tierna Davidson (Gotham), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave), Casey Krueger (Washington Spirit), Jenna Nighswonger (Gotham), Emily Sonnett (Gotham)
Midfielders: Korbin Albert (Paris Saint-Germain), Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns), Lindsey Horan (Lyon), Rose Lavelle (Gotham), Catarina Macario (Chelsea)
Forwards: Crystal Dunn (Gotham), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Jaedyn Shaw (San Diego Wave), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns), Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars)