Alex Carson
Alex Morgan
When you think of women’s soccer, you think of Alex Morgan. She is the face of the sport, and she was named the U.S Soccer Female Player of the Year. In 2018, she was named the U.S. national team’s co-captain, and she has a substantial social media following. She has 5.7 million followers on Instagram and has several endorsements. She also appeared in Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Take a look at the stunning transformation of U.S. soccer player Alex Morgan.
Coached By Her Dad
Alex fell in love with soccer when he was just 7-years-old. Because soccer was so important to Alex, it was also important to her father. He didn’t know much about the sport, so to be supportive of his daughter, he took referee classes and later coaching classes. When Alex was 9, he became her coach. According to Alex, it is normal for players’ parents to serve as coaches in the American Youth Soccer Organization in Southern California.
High School
When Alex was in high school, her father worked out with her three times a week. He would play goalkeeper, and she would do shooting drills. With both of her parents on her side helping her, she became a better player. Alex says that off the field, her father was her coach. When he would tell her something, she would listen. She says that she didn’t let soccer take up her whole life, and if she didn’t want to talk about soccer or practice, her father would listen. He was very supportive.
Facing a Minor Injury
When Alex was a senior in high school, things were going great. She was called up to the Under-20 national team. Unfortunately, when she was 17, she tore her ACL during a U-20 scrimmage with the men’s junior national team. Alex says that this was a turning point in her life. She struggled emotionally because she was so dependent on soccer. Not being able to train and play was very hard on her. Alex spent most of her senior year rehabbing, and she had a chance to reevaluate her life. In the end, she decided that soccer was her true passion. When she started college at the University of California at Berkely, she continued to rehab. Alex was determined to return to soccer.
Back In the Game
When her time in college was almost done, she was back in the game. In 2010, she made her debut for the U.S. women’s national team. She was selected first by the Western New York Flash in the 2011 draft. In 2011, her team won the World Cup, and this was when she realized that she had made it.
A Marketable Athlete
After winning the World Cup, the endorsement deals started coming in. Nike, McDonald’s, Tampax, Chapstick, Panasonic, Nationwide, Coca-Cola, and Beat by Dre all wanted her. She also had a children’s book series on the market called The Kicks. It didn’t take long before her book became the New York Times’ bestseller. It was later turned into a TV series for Amazon Prime. She was even on the cover of the FIFA video game franchises’ 2016 U.S. edition. Thanks to all of her endorsements, SportsPro put her on the 50 Most Marketable list.
Body Advocate
Alex is an advocate for body positivity. She says that whether you are skinny, athletic, or big-boned, you need to learn to live yourself. Alex says that when she was younger, she hated her big calves. Over time, she learned to love them, and everything else about herself. She tries to help other girls learn to love themselves as well.
Finding Love
Alex can thank soccer for her husband. She began dating Servando Carrasco while they were playing for the women’s and men’s soccer teams in college. They were college sweethearts and were married on New Year’s Eve, 2014. Servando plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy, and he and Alex often give each other feedback about their game.
The Pink Headband
If you have ever seen Alex play, you have seen her signature pink headband. She wears it as a tribute to her mother-in-law, Gloria Carrasco, who is a breast cancer survivor. She says that this isn’t the only reason that she wears it. As a kid, her mother always put a pink headband on her so that they could pick her out on the field. It has always been a part of her uniform.
Joining the Fight For Equal Pay
When Alex isn’t killing it on the soccer field, she is a voice for equal pay. Many of the women’s players have filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer in 2019, wanting their salary to be equal to their male counterparts. Alex says that she hopes that they can create equality for the next generation.
