By: Laken Litman | June 10, 2015 8:15 pm Follow @LakenLitman
(USA TODAY Sports)
WINNIPEG — Four years ago, the world met Alex Morgan.
It was 2011 and the then-21-year-old forward dazzled in her first World Cup. The youngest player on a U.S. squad that lost to Japan in a penalty shootout in the final, Morgan came off the bench in five of six games and scored two goals—once in the semifinal and again in the championship game.
ESPN cameras were constantly focused on her. Any time the U.S. scored, viewers saw Morgan jump into her teammates' arms, celebrating wildly with a perfect smile. She immediately became the new "it" girl and role model. A fresh face for women's soccer and American sports.
In 2012, Morgan was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and was nominated for FIFA Ballon d'Or, the organization's World Player of the Year award. In the London Olympics, she scored three goals, including a dramatic game-winning header against Canada in the 123rd minute of the semifinal match.
With success come endorsements and swimsuit spreads in Sports Illustrated. Scroll through Morgan's Twitter timeline these days and there are shout outs to sponsors like Coca-Cola, Nationwide, Tampax and Beats By Dre.
But as the U.S. begins to wind through this summer's World Cup in hopes of winning its first since 1999, Morgan is on the bench. Since 2013, she's been on and off the injured reserve list with an ankle sprain here, and a bruised knee there.
(USA TODAY Sports)
Morgan admitted earlier this week before America's first match of the tournament against Australia she can't even remember the last time she played a full 90 minutes. Her last start for the national team was an April 4 friendly against New Zealand and she played 73 minutes. She's been nursing a bruised bone in her left knee since mid-May.
In October 2013, a sprained ankle kept her out seven months. After returning, she sprained the same ankle during World Cup qualifying in October 2014 and was out about six weeks. But it's Morgan's knee that has coach Jill Ellis only calling her an "option" leading up to the team's second group play game against Sweden on Friday.
Yet Morgan's brand soars and the U.S. continues to be favored to win it all this summer.
In the newest Nationwide #BandTogether commercial featuring Morgan, the ad opens with the star forward getting focused for a match in the locker room, putting hot pink prewrap around her head. Cameras pan to various parts of the United States, showing different types of people also wearing pink prewrap — on a farm, in an office, at a construction site, at a youth soccer game. Everyone is behind the U.S. women's national team while it's in Canada, specifically Morgan.
USA TODAY Sports
The rousing commercial captures the excitement leading up to a World Cup. It forgets a reality the U.S. is facing.
America might not be good enough to win it all this year. In its opening match against Australia, the U.S. relied on goalkeeper Hope Solo to make several improbable saves, was choppy in the midfield, lacked possession, and for the fifth time in seven games, no forward scored.
Despite struggling for long stretches, the U.S. ultimately pulled out a 3-1 win over an Australian team that didn't have the stamina to last 90 minutes. The same quality won't win against Sweden, nor against outside contender Nigeria. And those are the teams the U.S. has on deck in the next week to get out of its group.
Morgan insists she could play a full 90-minute game now. But she only played 10 Monday. Her style would have been more conducive to the way the U.S. played, booting the ball 30 or 45 yards in hopes of Sydney Leroux or Abby Wambach finding it. Neither ever did.
Since the beginning of 2012, when Morgan scores, the U.S. is 23-0-3. She's scored 85 goals in 51 international appearances. The U.S. has built a team around her. She's the answer, but until she's on the field making a meaningful contribution, the U.S. will continue to face questions.
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