Alex Morgan: USWNT star plans to play at Olympics after giving birth
US soccer striker Alex Morgan says she plans to return to the national team in time for the 2020 Olympics despite being due to give birth to her first child just three months before.
Two-time World Cup winner Morgan is expecting a baby girl in April but believes she can be fit enough for when the Games officially begin in Tokyo on July 24, although the soccer tournament is due to start two days earlier.
Whilst acknowledging the quick turnaround, the 30-year-old is determined to continue her stellar soccer career throughout motherhood.
“I hope to get back on the field as soon as possible,” Morgan told USA TODAY Sports.
“After having a healthy baby, I want to get back with the national team and look forward to playing in Tokyo.”
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Morgan is considered one of the best players in the world and won gold at the 2012 Olympics in London.
She was also one of the US team’s captains at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring six goals in France on her way to lifting the trophy.
Taking inspiration from a host of elite athletes, she wants to continue playing at the highest level whilst bringing up her new family.
“I plan to follow in those footsteps and be one of those women who have a family and carry my daughter around as I’m going to the next city to play,” she added.
“I still want to continue to enjoy the sport that I’ve been playing for all my life.”
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Morgan and her husband, LA Galaxy player Servando Carrasco, announced she was pregnant on Twitter last month.
The pair has been married since New Year’s Eve 2014.
