Christen Press said she was not satisfied with Emma Hayes' explanation for removing Alex Morgan from the U.S. women's Olympic roster.
Morgan was not named to Hayes' 18-player list last week, meaning the U.S. women's national team will play a major tournament without the striker for the first time since the 2008 Olympics.
The decision was a landmark one, but not necessarily a huge surprise: Morgan has just four goals in her past 27 games for the U.S. women's national team and has yet to score for the San Diego Wave in 2024.
But the 35-year-old was also a valuable contributor to the U.S. Women's National Team this year, showcasing her hold-up play, strong defense and veteran leadership skills, scoring two goals in nine games.
In the end, Morgan was likely a victim of the Olympic roster being limited to 18 athletes, compared with 23 for most major tournaments.
Either way, when it came to her longtime U.S. Women's National Team teammate, Press felt she expected a bit more from the team's new head coach.
“I'm sure [Morgan] “She'll be congratulated and she'll be given flowers, but it's never a good feeling to have someone so important to the show end up on such a sour note,” Press said on the Re-CAP show.
“From a football point of view, I think I really wanted a clear reason. We've discussed it and I think we've probably found a reason, but I think Emma's given the most media-friendly answer ever.”
“She kept saying, 'We picked other players and the other players are great.' That's true, but why didn't you pick her? I wanted to hear the reason. If the reason was form, like, 'Other players are scoring and Alex isn't scoring,' then that's the reason.”
“So we just felt like we were left in limbo. Maybe because the club wasn't doing well, or because she was injured, or [Hayes] Not placing importance on having players with championship experience on the roster [the Olympics] “She really valued players who she felt could make a difference in a game when they took turns. But all I was left with was, 'What was that call like? What was the real reason?'”
What did Hayes say about Morgan?
After announcing the Olympic roster, Coach Hayes justified Morgan's exclusion by citing low player numbers.
“Of our 18 players, we only have 16 field players and two goalkeepers, so it was a tough decision, especially with Alex's history and performance with this team,” Hayes said in a media conference call, “but I wanted to go in a different direction and chose other players.”
When pressed further, Hayes suggested Morgan's lack of versatility compared to other players competing for a roster spot also played a role.
“We have a short turnaround between games, so having guys on the roster who can play multiple positions is obviously important for our depth,” Hayes said.
“But I think we also have players on the roster who are performing well in the forward areas. The decision to acquire those players was definitely something we thought about a lot. But I think it's a well-balanced roster. We took into account all the factors that we'll need during the Olympics.”
Tobin Heath, Morgan's longtime U.S. women's national team teammate and co-host of “The Recap Show,” said he feels the Olympics could be a chance for the team's young offensive line to step out from under Morgan's shadow.
“Looking at this front, Emma [Morgan] “She's already been there with this group, it's almost like she played the World Cup with this group, she's been able to give them that experience in that type of tournament,” Heath said.
“I think having Alex Morgan there really casts a shadow over the entire offensive line. In a lot of ways, this might be the next step for this young offensive line to really emerge.”
