Alex Morgan, cocaptain of the US women’s national team, said that she plans to play at next year’s Tokyo Olympics even though the Games are to take place just three months after she is due to give birth to her first child in April.
“It’s my goal to play there,” Morgan said. “It’s clearly a short window, but if I’m able to, I want to be there representing my country.”
Morgan and her husband, Servando Carrasco, last month announced that they are expecting a daughter.
Photo: Reuters
It has certainly been a busy year for the Southern Californian striker.
In March, she joined her teammates in suing their employer, US Soccer, saying that the women’s team was underpaid compared with their less successful male counterparts.
The 30-year-old, who scored six goals during her team’s charge toward a fourth World Cup title, said that she hopes the lawsuit can be settled out of court, even though a trial date has been set.
“It’s moving quickly,” she said. “We’re having updates every week and we have the trial set for May, so we are absolutely hoping to have it resolved before the Olympics — but the sooner, the better.”
The legal battle did not interfere with the team’s focus, she said.
“The lawsuit isn’t necessarily a distraction, but it’s something that needs to happen for us to value ourselves properly,” she said. “Our employer is not doing the same.”
The women’s team has also won four Olympic golds.
Morgan, who is also a forward for the Orlando Pride, spoke with reporters following the unveiling of a US$100,000 mini-soccer pitch in Gardena, a low-income area in Los Angeles County.
The 26m by 12m acrylic pitch, which was paid for by sports drink company Powerade and carries Morgan’s signature on it, would help to hone the skills of the next generation, she said.
The US Soccer Foundation has so far installed 250 mini-pitches in urban areas across the US. The goal is to install 1,000 pitches by 2026.
“I even struggle to get access to a field sometimes, which is crazy to say. So to be able to open a pitch in my community in the Los Angeles area was great,” she said. “To give safe access to the sport and more access is incredible. I want soccer to be the biggest sport in the US — and the way that the youth soccer trend is going right now, it cuts out the lower half of the income classes, so to be able to provide this pitch in more of an undeserved area is so amazing.”
Morgan said she can even envision her own daughter taking advantage of the opportunity one day.
“Being a mom-to-be, it’s incredible to know that children like mine will have access to this,” she said.
San Francisco Giants pitcher Teng Kai-wei impressed against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday despite an 8-1 loss in the opener of the team’s nine-game road trip. Teng, the only Taiwanese pitcher active in MLB, struck out five while allowing two hits and one walk over four innings at Chase Field to finish with a no decision, as the teams were tied 1-1 when he finished his outing. He surrendered the lone run of his outing in the bottom of the first, which began with a walk, a hit-by-pitch and two strikeouts. Diamondbacks leadoff hitter Geraldo Perdomo advanced to third on
DOUBLE: Harry Kane has now netted 12 goals in six games, scoring his second hat-trick this season after Bayern’s opening Bundesliga match against Leipzig last month That man again. Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday to steer Bayern Munich to a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim for the best Bundesliga start any team has made after four rounds. The England captain scored before the break and converted two penalties after it to take his club tally to 12 goals in six games across all competitions — 13 goals in seven games including the German Supercup. Kane’s other hat-trick was in the Bundesliga-opening 6-0 rout of Leipzig. Bayern’s record of 12 points with a goal difference of 15-plus is the best after four rounds of the Bundesliga
Rwanda is to take center stage from today as the first African country to host the cycling world championships, in its latest use of sports to improve the country’s reputation. As it prepares for 5,000 cyclists and 20,000 spectators, Rwanda has spruced up its roads, created a network of cycle lanes and run multiple police drills. A poor, landlocked country in east Africa still widely associated with a horrific genocide in 1994, Rwanda has used various sports to revamp its image, attract tourists and impress investors with its organizational efficiency. It has spent lavishly on soccer sponsorship deals with clubs
New Zealand yesterday basked in “amazing” athletics glory after winning two gold medals in as many days at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Geordie Beamish on Monday claimed New Zealand’s first track gold in history with a shock victory in the 3,000m steeplechase, while high jumper Hamish Kerr followed with gold on Tuesday to make it an unprecedented double success for a country much better known for rugby than its prowess in track and field. Before this week, the country had won only six golds in total at the championships. Yesterday morning New Zealand were in the giddy position of fourth on
RSS