Q&A: Alex Morgan talks U.S. Soccer negotiations, NWSL homecoming and that new San Diego crest
Alex Morgan is going home and starting fresh with San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League.
The expansion team officially announced Morgan — a two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist and NWSL Champion — this week.
USA Today Sports+ spoke one-on-one with her about the new team and its recently unveiled crest, ongoing player negotiations between U.S. Soccer and the NWSL, and what she hopes to contribute on and off the field in her home state of California.
Question: The USWNT Players Association and U.S. Soccer announced a memorandum of understanding Monday that extended the current collective bargaining agreement through March 2022, pushing the original Dec. 31 deadline back. The organizations also ended U.S. Soccer’s allocation system of national team players to the NWSL, which now allows national team players to sign directly with the club without restrictions for the first time in league history. As a player who was affected by those restrictions, what does this move mean to you?
Answer: “My ability to be able to sign a contract with a team now, rather than being a federation player and getting paid by the national team, it'll really means a lot. I think that U.S. Soccer did a great thing in having an allocation system and really helping this league get off the ground, and offsetting the costs for U.S. national team players, but I think we're at the point where this league is ready for the allocation system to be dissolved.
“There does need to be a transition period, which U.S. Soccer and the national team players’ association are sorting through. Being able to negotiate for our true value is a positive, but having U.S. Soccer exit the NWSL in all ways now officially, I just hope the league is ready for that. I hope the league is prepared to not only have an organized front office, but also not have to need to lean on the support of U.S. Soccer. But in general, I think it's a good step forward.
“I'm really hopeful that we sign our CBA with the national team and also the NWSL sooner than later. There's never a dull moment in women's soccer, that's for sure.”
Q: Do you feel positive momentum happening for both of those negotiations?
A: “I think at times there's a lot of optimism and at times there isn't. It's never easy during negotiations. There are tensions that arise and there are compromises that need to be made. It can be a battleground. So it's hard to be going into two of those negotiations. But at the same time, I feel really positive about where we are in general. I am optimistic both with the NWSL and the national team. I'm just really eager to get started here in San Diego and to have all those negotiations behind us and to be able to focus on what we all love, which is playing soccer.”
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Q: Speaking of the game, with a new club comes a chance for a wide range of opportunities. New coach Casey Stoney is there. You have former USWNT coach Jill Ellis there as president. For you – as someone who was part of this league when it started back in 2013 – what do you want to contribute to this club as it kicks off?
A: “I want to be able to contribute on the field and bring the championship to this club. But combining the on-the-field and off-the-field, I've had the ability and experience of launching my content company Togethxr earlier this year. It’s been a vision for many years. Having that experience now under my belt, I feel like it's really great to be a part of something new because I can contribute in way more than something on the field.
“I'm really just grateful for the opportunity to be able to represent this club, and to be in the vision of this club from Day 1. This has always been in our plan of settling down as a family here in San Diego and making roots here. To be able to do this during my playing career, and seeing the long-term partnership that I have created with San Diego Wave, it's a really exciting time. It's a time that I really want to cherish, but I feel like it's going so fast. And there's so many moving parts. It’s going to be really nice looking back because it is a really special time. It's one that I've been looking forward to for a long time.
“And then, obviously, just being home to see my family a lot more and having my daughter see a lot of her cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents more frequently. And just seeing the consistent support at my matches. I'm definitely going to have to buy a lot of season tickets, or maybe San Diego will be nice to me and give me a lot of tickets to every game. I'm going to have requests for every single game.”
Q: Speaking to that influential role, last year was a difficult one across the NWSL. You have continued to emerge as someone willing to use your platform to help other players who might not be able to speak out – including following the allegations of sexual coercion against Paul Riley and verbal and emotional abuse allegations against former NWSL coach Richie Burke. You've been very vocal about those issues. Is that something that has always been a part of who you are? Is that something you've grown into?
A: “If you ask the people closest to me, they would say I'm definitely opinionated: pretty outspoken, very set in my ways, not afraid to say something. And I mean what I say. So I definitely think it's just a little bit of who I am. It's not like some conscious decision I made to be an activist in this way. It's just what I'm passionate about. It's being a good friend. It's being a good teammate, showing solidarity with teammates and those who you share a passion in life for.
“I think a lot of things have really flourished because of that, but I definitely have a lot of teammates before me, like Abby Wambach, who were just great to be around every single day. She was the best teammate you could ask for. When you have people like that on your side for so many years, people like that rooting for you, you feel like you owe it to your teammates to be the same and to be that sort of teammate, to be that sort of friend.”
Q: Your new coach, Casey Stoney, is an ex-defender. You've got some great new teammates in Abby Dahlkemper and Tegan McGrady. From what you've seen, what will San Diego Wave FC bring to the field?
A: “I’m very impressed with the signings that this team has had so far. I know sometimes an expansion team is really limited in the first year or two in being able to compete for a playoff spot, let alone a championship, but this team kind of defies odds in that with the signings for Kailen Sheridan, Abby Dahlkemper, Tegan McGrady, the list really goes on. That sort of core is the foundation of this team that really sets the standard. That sets the culture. And I think with all of that combined, I'm just very impressed with the team that Casey has brought in thus far. And I've heard really positive things from Casey. I've obviously never been coached by her and only got the chance a couple of times in the Women's Super League to play against her team, but she's a very ambitious coach. And I know that there will be great things under her tenure here in San Diego.”
Q: She can take care of the tactical defense and you’ll take care of the goals?
A: “Having an organized defense is probably the most important thing about a team. As much as I love to score goals, we can't be winning 5-4. We need to have a lot of shutouts here. So having one of the best goalkeepers in the world, one of the best centerbacks in the world. That's a pretty good foundation for this team.”
Q: San Diego isn't going to be the only team in California. Angel City comes in as well. How do you see the two new teams expanding the league? Is there an excitement in a possible geographical rivalry?
A: “There's so many great factors to two teams coming in the league, both in Southern California. First of all for the rivalry. Also, the fact that Southern California has such a rich history in soccer, women's soccer and youth soccer, that all plays into it. Having played out in Portland for a few years, it was really tough being one of only two teams on the West Coast and not really being able to represent the entirety of the West Coast and the communities that I grew up in. It just didn't do it justice. So now being four teams on the West Coast, with two in Southern California, I think it'll really show just how incredible of soccer there is.”
Q: I feel like every signing is, ‘this player’s coming home.’ How many players are from Southern California?
A: “If they’re not from Jersey, they're from Southern California.”
Q: Finally, San Diego Wave released its colors and badge for the 2022 season. You’re modeling it now, what do you think?
A: “I love the vibrant colors. I was actually really impressed by it. There's a lot of crests that missed the mark. This was definitely not one of them. I'll be proud to wear this one every day.”
Q: Hopefully it comes with some equally awesome kits that go with it, too. I see a lot of potential.
A: “I feel like because of the vibrant colors of the crest, you can go with a more subtle kit because this is kind of like a big pop color.”