A period of scrutiny keeps persisting for Alex Morgan. The USWNT stalwart has had a stellar career internationally and domestically but is currently undergoing the test of time. After having a bleak season for the San Diego Wave in the NWSL and being dropped out of the 2024 Paris Olympic squad, her long-term work ethic is now being questioned. While the USWNT won the gold after Morgan’s absence, a former Portland Thorns coach took this opportunity to take a dig at Morgan and praise Emma Hayes’ decision.

It looks like the feud between Alex Morgan and Paul Riley is not over yet. The English manager has now sparked another debate after expressing that Hayes made the right decision to keep Morgan away from the Paris Games. Replying to an X (previously Twitter) post, stated Riley.

Morgan and Riley’s confrontation goes back to 2015. The 60-year-old and Morgan worked together at Portland Thorns in the 2015-16 season. During that period it was reported that Morgan assisted her then-Portland Thorns teammate Mana Shim in sending an email regarding Riley’s alleged bullying. Thorns subsequently fired him from the position after such allegations.

That wasn’t it all. Morgan was also claimed to have put effort into stopping US Soccer from hiring Riley as the USWNT coach in 2019. Nevertheless, after many years, the 2-time NWSL winning coach is now back with a few comments on the striker. She reportedly stated, “I did my part in stopping him from becoming head coach.” It now looks like the former manager is back with a bold take. However, though Riley kind of dismissed Morgan’s skills, some of her opponents have all but reverence for her.

Long-time goalkeeper of the Costa Rica national team, Dinnia Díaz, summed up her experience of facing Alex Morgan in a few words, “Sometimes you’re thinking, ‘How much time is left? Can Alex still score on me?” According to Diaz, this is something that she never faced for other opponents. So, she marks the occasion of keeping Alex Morgan scoreless in a 2016 friendly match as a crowning moment of her career. Haiti center-back Claire Constant puts up one more aspect.

According to Constant, Morgan is a player who “never turns off.” “You have to keep an eye on her for literally all 90 minutes. Her movement off the ball, whether she’s checking into the seams or making runs into the box, is very, very hard to defend,” Constant noted. Interestingly, although Riley questioned Morgan’s team spirit, Constant said, “She’s always making quick little movements and makes selfless runs for her teammates.” And those moves are not only on the field.

After a 2016 USWNT complaint, Morgan and Megan Rapinoe joined hands to lead an equal pay lawsuit that guaranteed equal pay for male and female U.S. players. The $24 million settlement was a landmark agreement that followed the USWNT’s complaints of gender discrimination and is considered a benchmark in women’s football around the world. She has also been vocal about the issues surrounding female footballers and pregnancy, which rarely go hand-in-hand. While these are reminders of Morgan’s influence, the forward is indeed struggling to keep up with her legacy at the moment.

Is Alex Morgan still in Emma Hayes’ scheme of things?

After bowing out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 on penalties, Morgan had revealed that she was “not planning to hang up my boots anytime soon now”. Nevertheless, Morgan’s current state of play makes her chances of a return bleak as she battles to prove a point to her critics. Morgan hasn’t opened her scoring for the Wave yet since the season began starting 8 games. Only registering 1 assist, she also faced an ankle injury in April which proved to be an additional hurdle.

However, despite snubbing Morgan, Hayes had all the praise for her. “I’ve only had one opportunity to work with her in the last camp. I saw first-hand not just her qualities, but her professionalism. Her record speaks for itself,” Emma Hayes had said, claiming her to be a good professional in contrast to what the former manager from Liverpool said. At the same time, Hayes has also hinted about looking into the future with youngsters. Notably, a squad without Morgan being absent had happened once before Hayes took charge officially.

In November 2023, just after the USA squad crashed out of the World Cup, a bunch of veterans including Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, Ashley Sanchez, Sofia Huerta, Alyssa Naeher, and Andi Sullivan were kept out of the squad for back-to-back friendly matches against the People’s Republic of China. Although it was the interim manager, Twila Kilgore, who called the shots, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that Hayes had a say in that. Because, by that time, she had already started to work with the team from afar, juggling her Chelsea duties.

On both occasions, Alex Morgan being left out was glaring. While Riley claimed her to be overrated, Hayes stated it was time for the youngsters to gain more exposure to the big tournaments. Therefore, an 18-member squad size was too low for her to take Morgan, considering she already participated in many. Nonetheless, the 35-year-old hasn’t announced anything about her future yet. While she appears to be determined to fight for her place, Morgan may come back with a response to Riley.