‘Super-Mom’ Alex Morgan Believes Joining Spurs Was The ‘Only Decision’ She Could Make

The last time Alex Morgan played a match in England it was at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium. Three years on, in her eagerly-anticipated return to the game, following a year out in which her life and the world around her has changed, she is set to make her Tottenham Hotspur debut at the same venue tomorrow.

On 7 May, Morgan gave birth to her first child, Charlie Elena Carrasco, fully intending to make her comeback with the United States national team in time to play in this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Yet, the shutdown of the world’s soccer leagues and the postponement of the Games have given her more time to regain her fitness.

Speaking yesterday from Tottenham’s training ground, Hotspur Way, Morgan revealed that she is likely to start tomorrow’s match in Manchester on the substitute’s bench as she works towards full match-sharpness. “I’m really hopeful to get on the field soon. We’re taking it day by day. I have to look at the length of time I’ve been out, the fact that my body needs to get back to full fitness so we’ve really had a flexible plan, starting with the first day I was here”.

Ranked by Forbes as the highest-earning female in the game, Morgan last month shocked women’s soccer by becoming the fifth and most high-profile of the United States’ World Cup winning squad to join the English FA WSL. She followed Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis, who joined Manchester City, and Tobin Heath and Christen Press, who signed for Manchester United. So why, after winning the Champions League with Olympique Lyonnais, did Morgan join Tottenham Hotspur, a mid-table WSL side with no realistic ambition of challenging for the league title? It seems that the experience of training at Hotspur Way with the United States national team ahead of the 2019 World Cup left a lasting impression on her.

“One of the biggest things that came into play was honestly coming here pre-World Cup and being able to enjoy the facilities last summer. I was really impressed with the whole professionalism around the club, I was really impressed with the facilities. I became a fan of the men’s team at that point. When I started really considering joining, just having the discussion with both Juan (Amoros) and Karen (Hills), the head coaches, and seeing their passion for the growth of this club and where they’ve come from and the progress that they’ve made every year, it just sparked a level of excitement that made me want to be a part of something like this”.

Morgan signed a short-term contract at Tottenham with her former club Orlando Pride retaining her NWSL rights. She remains unsure as to how long she will stay in England, but intends to return to play in the United States at some point. “We’re keeping our options open. I want to continue to help grow the NWSL. I don’t know if I see it being a long term thing, as in multi-year, but as of right now I’m really excited just to be here putting on the Spurs kit, at least until December, and possibly through the season”.

An unused substitute as Tottenham succumbed to a four-goal blitz from North London rivals Arsenal last Saturday, Morgan was pictured wrapped up against the cold. The Californian, who has spent the last few years of her career in Florida is still getting used to the English climate. “The weather has taken a turn. Coming from Florida where I haven’t put on a pullover or anything long-sleeve in months, to go from tank-tops to as many layers as I could possibly wear when playing football has been a little bit of adjustment”.

She is now set to make her first-team debut for Spurs away to Manchester City on Sunday up against her national team-mates Lavelle and Mewis. Morgan’s appearance at Manchester City in 2017 was also billed as a duel with a fellow World Cup winner when she came face-to-face with Carli Lloyd, however looking back she remembers the strength throughout their team. “When I played for Lyon in 2017, we played against Man City, both home and away, so I was able to see some of the players there. There’s a lot of the same players (now) with the addition of some quality like Sam and Rose. They are obviously a quality team, they don’t have many flaws throughout them. Steph (Houghton) is clearly an experienced centre back, Lucy (Bronze) just re-signed with them, so you have a real quality team. I think the advantage for us could be in the fact that they just played a match and they will be playing another match as well soon after ours so they’re going to have to look at the minutes of those players definitely. I think for us, it’s just about bouncing back from our game against Arsenal and looking to get our confidence back from that match”.

Morgan admits that her return to first-team training just five months after the birth of her daughter was a shock to the system. “Last week was my first introduction to team training. I felt really sharp, really fit, really fast in individual training and then I get into team training and my touch is all over the place and I’m the slowest on the pitch, my quick-twitch muscles are non-existent. In my second week of training, it has gotten much better, my speed has increased a lot, but still not to the point where I’m super-happy, so I think I need to be really patient with myself but overall I feel really good, but very sore!”

Morgan says she sought the advice of her team-mate at Orlando Pride, Sydney Leroux, who returned to action last autumn only three months after the birth of her second child. “I’ve been really luck to play with her for so many years. I’ve had so many questions, around juggling personal life and football life, that’s she’s been able to help guide me through. Last year, when she had her daughter Roux, she came back after six or seven weeks and got back into training slowly. I’ve taken as much as I can from her, any advice that I can. Even on how to pump on the way to training or what to do after training in terms of going back home and having to take care of kids rather than taking care of your recovery. You have to run around with your kids and really play like super-mom. It’s just been great to have someone who’s been through it to give me advice”.

Morgan’s husband Servando Carrasco, who previously played in the MLS with LA Galaxy, this year, joined his wife in Florida by signing for Fort Lauderdale and she admits to being 50/50 about leaving him behind. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make the move with my daughter and pull my family apart from each other. It was kind of a little crazy initially, the idea of leaving when both me and my husband found clubs in Florida and were able to live together or within three hours of each other at the furthest and then going to live in a completely different country. I felt that was the only decision I could make and after talking it through, it was like, this is what has to be done”.

She is thankful to Tottenham for understanding her situation and giving her the opportunity to represent them. “I think I was really lucky to have Spurs be so flexible with the contract through the season and it really helped me make a decision on such short notice. For other players, looking to maybe play internationally or uproot themselves or even their families to somewhere new, I just always encourage challenging yourself and creating a new environment that challenges you and kind of helps you to become the best player that you can be”.