Alex Morgan

The United States women’s national team fandom is divided on one big question. Should Alex Morgan go to the Olympics this summer?

Only 18 players will be on USWNT head coach Emma Hayes’ roster this summer as the USA seek their first gold medal in women’s soccer since 2012. Does Morgan deserve one of the coveted roster spots?

Alex Morgan Olympics debate

Morgan was on the outside looking in at the start of 2024. When the USWNT Gold Cup roster was released in February Morgan’s name was nowhere to be found. 

The United States women’s national team will go on a month-and-a-half hiatus following a spring that saw them lift the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup and their seventh SheBelieves Cup. We’d say we’ve seen enough for a USWNT Olympic roster prediction.

Incoming USWNT head coach Emma Hayes will need to narrow the roster to 18 names for the Paris Olympics. She’ll have watched both tournaments and have a solid idea of who deserves to go.

The U.S. women’s national team were crowned the 2024 SheBelieves Cup champions after defeating Canada in Columbus on Tuesday.

After facing off against Canada in the W Gold Cup semifinals last March and  defeating The Maples through penalties, both national teams were to meet once again in hopes of winning a trophy.

United States women’s national team head coach Twila Kilgore turned heads with her starting XI for the SheBelieves Cup semifinal vs. Japan on Saturday. Korbin Albert will start the game on the bench and Mallory Swanson returns for the first time in a year.

Swanson last started a game with the USWNT on April 8, 2023, when she suffered a severe knee injury. She’s back in the starting XI for the first time since.

USWNT starting XI vs Japan

The XI to get us started in Atlanta

All eyes will be on the United States women’s national team starting XI on Saturday ahead of the SheBelieves Cup semifinal vs. Japan. The elephant in the room is obvious. Will Korbin Albert start the game?

Under normal circumstances Albert starting in the midfield for the USWNT would be a no brainer. She was terrific for the team alongside Sam Coffey during the Concacaf W Gold Cup and broke her way into the starting XI.

The United States women’s national team held a press conference on Wednesday which saw leaders Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan address the controversial situation involving midfielder Korbin Albert.

The 20-year-old received waves of backlash after fans discovered she’d reposted anti-LGBTQ+ videos on TikTok and was caught liking a post making fun of Megan Rapinoe’s career ending injury.

The USWNT will be facing off against CONMEBOL’s mighty Brazil in the W Gold Cup final.

After defeating Canada through a penalty shoot-out last Wednesday in the tournament’s semifinal, the U.S. women’s national team will be due to play the first-ever final in the history of the tournament against none other than Brazil.

Alyssa Naeher had a penalty shootout performance against Canada in the Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinal that etched new lore in United States women’s national team history.

It’s important to add some context to what must have been going through Naeher’s mind before the shootout began.

She had just conceded and failed to save the penalty kick in the final seconds to send the game to a shootout.

The Alex Morgan miss vs Colombia was the star striker’s one blemish during the United States women’s national team’s 3-0 victory on Sunday in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup quarterfinal.

There were questions being raised as to who would start as the USWNT No. 9 after the shocking 2-0 loss to Mexico. Morgan, who was on the bench to start the Mexico game, was given the start vs. Colombia.

She was electric in a renaissance performance for the 34-year-old.