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Alex Morgan kicks a penalty kick to score the first goal for the United States in the final between the United States and Canada in Monterrey, Mexico on July 18, 2022.
Washington
CNN
—
U.S. women's soccer legend Alex Morgan will not be on the team for next month's Olympics in Paris, symbolizing the regime change taking place within the women's national team.
Coach Emma Hayes, who is leading the national team to her first major tournament, announced her squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday. The 22-man squad, including 18 players and four reserves for Paris, includes only eight players who competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 and 10 members of the 2023 World Cup squad.
Morgan's removal from the national team roster signals change for a highly successful team that has featured surprisingly talented players over the past few seasons. But that generation has been overtaken in recent tournaments, finishing third at the Tokyo Olympics and losing on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup. Hayes, brought in after a disappointing World Cup, now faces the challenge of grooming the next generation of U.S. women to live up to the same expectations for success as the women's national team.
Morgan expressed disappointment at being selected but said she would continue to cheer on the team next month.
“Today, I regret not having had the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage. This tournament will always be dear to me and I feel great pride every time I put on the crest,” she said in a post on X. “I look forward to cheering on this team and cheering along with the rest of our country in less than a month.”
Hayes, speaking at a press conference, praised Morgan for her contributions to the national team and her illustrious career, but said it was time for the team to move in a different direction. Hayes acknowledged that the Paris roster will be made up of less experienced players than previous tournaments, with a focus on development.
“Winning an Olympic gold medal is not a rite of passage for any team in the world, and there's no denying that this program has had a great history of success, but the reality is that it's going to take a lot of work to get to the top level again,” Hayes said. “When I look at the team's cap accumulation, I think there's been a lack of development in putting our less experienced players in positions where they can gain experience, and I think that's important to take that next step.”
“I'm not looking back, we have to look forward with the players who have come through the World Cup and I'm really looking forward to building on our achievements after the World Cup. For us, this is an opportunity to show a lesson that we can go further than we did last time, but there are no guarantees in life.”
The team consists of goalkeepers Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naher, defenders Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Kruger, Jenna Neiswonger and Emily Sonnett, midfielders Corbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lovell and Catalina Macario, and forwards Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman, Jaydyn Shaw, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson.
The four substitutes were goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielders Hal Hirschfeld and Cloix Bethune and forward Lynn Williams.
“It's a well-balanced squad, we've taken into account all the factors that will be required during the Olympics and I'm really happy with it,” Hayes said.
Durability and adaptability were key considerations for Hayes when selecting his squad, with many of the players able to play in multiple positions and this will be key given the relatively short time between games in France.
“The biggest factor is probably, and I hope, we have 16 field players playing a lot of games over 17 days,” she said. “Having a roster that can adapt is essential. The turnaround between games is short, so of course having players on the roster that can play multiple positions was more important for our team depth.”
This story has been updated with additional reports.
