Alex Morgan not going to Paris Olympics, left off roster of U.S. women's soccer team

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Alex Morgan, one of the most decorated players in U.S. women's soccer history, was left off the American roster headed to the Olympics in France, the team announced Wednesday. Morgan was the most notable absence of the 18 players named to the squad of first-year coach Emma Hayes, who is seeking to return the Americans to their long-accustomed elite levels. The USWNT crashed out of last year's World Cup in the round of 16 and managed only a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. Morgan started in all four of America's matches of the 2023 World Cup but did not score and recorded one assist. If this is the end of Morgan's international career, she'd leave with two World Cup titles on her resume and Olympic gold and bronze medals on her mantle. "Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage," Morgan said in statement posted on X. "This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest. " “Making an Olympic roster is a huge privilege and an honor and there is no denying that it was an extremely competitive process among the players and that there were difficult choices, especially considering how hard everyone has worked over the past 10 months,” Hayes said in a statement. “Choosing an 18-player roster plus alternates involved many considerations, but I am excited for the group we have selected." Morgan scored one of the most famous goals in American soccer history, a 123rd-minute header in the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics at Old Trafford, giving the United States a 4-3 victory over Canada. That goal pushed America into the gold medal match days later, which the United States won, 2-1, over Japan. Morgan on Wednesday promised to root hard for her now-former teammates from back home. “In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on alongside the rest of our country,” she said. The rest of the roster included: Goalkeepers Alyssa Naeher and Casey Murphy. Defenders Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger and Emily Sonnett. Midfielders Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle and Catarina Macario. Forwards Crystal Dunn, Trinity Rodman, Jaedyn Shaw, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, midfielders Hal Hershfelt and Croix Bethune and forward Lynn Williams were all named as alternates. The team has two more exhibition games to prepare for the Olympics, against Mexico on July 13 in Harrison, New Jersey, and Costa Rica on July 16 in Washington, D.C. The Americans' Olympic opener is set for July 25 against Zambia in Nice, France. Hayes' squad is trying to avoid being the first U.S. women's soccer team to go three consecutive Olympics or World Cups without bringing home the top prize.