By Rory Carroll
DIAMOND BAR, California, Aug 6 (Reuters) – Alex Morgan will swap the pressure of playing in four World Cups for the anxiety of watching from the stands next year when she travels to Brazil to see the United States bid for another world title.
The two-time World Cup-winning striker said Brazil’s passion for the sport would provide a vibrant backdrop for the 2027 tournament, while the depth of the U.S. squad should leave it well placed for a tough challenge.
“In Brazil, football is just part of the culture,” Morgan said in an interview. “You’re going to see people playing soccer in the streets. You’re going to see everyone talking about it and watching.”
Morgan, an equal pay trailblazer who retired in 2024 after scoring 123 goals for the U.S. national team and winning the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot, said she plans to attend as a supporter, not as a former player offering advice from the sidelines.
“The best thing for the team is to create that bubble,” she said. “So for me, I’m going to be hands-off. I’m going to be the ultimate fan.”
Her optimism rests on what she called the strongest U.S. line-up she has seen, even as the gap between the traditional powers and the rest of the world continues to narrow.
The growth of professional leagues worldwide has helped make the Women’s World Cup more open than in previous decades, she said.
WOMEN’S SOCCER MORE COMPETITIVE THAN EVER
“It’s never been more competitive,” she said. “My hope is that the U.S. does incredibly well.”
Pregnant with her third child, Morgan spoke to Reuters on a sunsoaked day in Diamond Bar, the Southern California community where she grew up playing soccer, softball and basketball.
On Tuesday she returned to help open a mini-pitch built through a partnership between her foundation and CVS Health.
As a child, Morgan said she was always looking for “a sliver of a field” where she could train and improve. She hopes the new pitch will give young players the same opportunity.
“Skills on a court or on a field can always be learned,” she said. “What I really hope to relay is to get on this court or this mini-pitch and build self-confidence, build self-belief.”
Morgan, who won Olympic gold with the United States at the 2012 London Games, said she looks ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with some envy, wishing she had had the chance to compete in a home Games during her career.
“Having my hometown be able to host an Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.
Asked whether she would prefer a U.S. World Cup triumph in Brazil or Olympic gold on home soil in Los Angeles, Morgan declined to choose.
“There’s no one or the other,” she said. “Just both.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Diamond Bar, California, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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