‘This team is the best we’ve ever had’ - USWNT veteran Alex Morgan confident of World Cup chances but wary of England’s ‘mentality shift’ in recent years
- USA are defending champions
- Looking for a hat-trick of wins
- European champions in the mix
WHAT HAPPENED? Another quest for global glory is set to get underway in July, with a star-studded American squad heading into that tournament as defending champions and favourites. Veteran forward Morgan, with 206 international caps and 121 goals to her name, believes the U.S. can complete a hat-trick of triumphs – following successes in 2015 and 2019 – as they boast match-winning talent all over the field.
🏆 TOP STORY: Real Madrid set to finalise Bellingham move
📣 HAVE YOUR SAY: Will Haaland become PL's greatest goalscorer?
🚨 MUST READ: Haaland makes the world jealous
WHAT THEY SAID: Morgan has told The Guardian: “I think that this team is the best we’ve ever had. We have the confidence that we need to go into a World Cup and prove why we deserve to win. I feel like we have the talent, we have the quality, we have the right coach, the right players, the right camaraderie, the right mentality. I don’t think that’s different from previous World Cup teams, but I think there’s a lot of different small details in place to get us to the same place that we’ve been able to go in 2015 and 2019 [and USA’s other World Cup titles in] 1999, 1991.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: While the USWNT are in a confident mood ahead of a trip to Australia and New Zealand, Morgan concedes that European champions England pose a serious threat. She added on the Lionesses, who have also savoured Finalissima glory in 2023: “I think they’ve definitely come a long way in the last couple of years, and I think that’s credit to a lot of things.
"Number one, their domestic league, that has just gotten so much better and so much more competitive in the last five years. Their federation’s increased focus on their women’s program that I don’t think existed more than five years ago, bringing in the best and most qualified coaches, making sure that their players are compensated fairly. I think that they’ve fought and have achieved close to equal pay and working conditions. I think also their mentality has shifted. When they came close … in the 2019 World Cup, and then winning the Euros, I think there was a huge mentality shift for them.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? The United States are set to face Vietnam, the Netherlands and Portugal in the group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, while England have been pooled with Haiti, Denmark and China.