We all knew Emma Hayes could change the USWNT’s mentality when she took over. In just 2 months, she fetched the Olympic Gold medal in Paris. Although she has had peaceful personal interactions with the players, her tactics and squad selection remain as ruthless as ever. Not using substitutions in the game points out that her players need high fitness levels. But, dropping Alex Morgan quickly became one of the most debated selection calls. Simply because she carried the nation on her shoulders at times.

Thus, it caused chaos within the camp. To drop a player with multiple World Cups and an Olympic gold medal? Now, that’s brave. Yet, Alex Mogan mentioned to People, “I’m at peace. I’m just really happy with where I am now.” The soccer legend has enjoyed a successful career and would hope to enter into ownership, coaching, or the business world.

Wanting to have one more run before she retired, the veteran really believed she would make the squad. “I wanted one last major tournament,” she touched on missing the Olympics. In the past World Cups, as she stated, Morgan scored crucial goals to take her team to victory. At the peak of USWNT’s dominance, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe shook hands with the soccer gods above.

While Rapinoe won the Ballon d’Or Feminin that year, Morgan scored five goals in a single match against Thailand! That’s Ronaldo and Messi’s range! Yet, the 2023 World Cup went down the drain. The USWNT visibly lacked the same mentality they had before.

“After the World Cup [in 2023], not being able to have gone far enough to be really proud, I wanted to be able to push for one more,” said Morgan after the World Cup. On the flip side, she knew where the team was headed. A young solid core hungry for success!

Emma Hayes favors young stars instead of Alex Morgan and other veterans!

Significantly, Alex Morgan understood Emma Hayes’ approach to the game. She knew the team was headed in another direction with Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, and other wonderkids coming into the fold. Hayes‘ tactics demanded pressing from the top, which meant fitness levels had to be top-notch. Given her age, Morgan knew the chances of making the team could hang in the balance.

She adds, “As much as I wanted to continue with the team and make the Olympic roster, I understood there was always a possibility of that, given my last year, my age, and how long I had been with the team. There was a sentiment of passing the torch. As disappointed as I was, I carried on and understood that this is life.”

Yet, we cannot disregard her golden contributions in the past. Part of the 2012 London Olympics gold medal-winning team, Morgan’s legacy stands intact, despite missing the Paris Olympics squad. Now happily retired, she can score goals in the next chapter of her life.

And from the looks of it, Alex Morgan has already taken strides towards building her business portfolio. Through Trybe Ventures, the former Wave star became part of a large group to support Unrivaled, a brand-new 3v3 women’s basketball league. The investor pool consists of big-name athletes like Carmelo Anthony, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Megan Rapinoe, and many more.

On the other hand, Alex Morgan also recently partnered with Nourish, a telehealth company that connects its users with medical professionals and she has already begun featuring in adverts for the brand. Life doesn’t seem to have stopped for the soccer legend!