Alex Morgan had just arrived in Coachella Valley, a few hours east of Los Angeles, when she got word: Forward Mia Fishel had torn her ACL in training near LA the day before the U.S.’ opening match of the Concacaf W Gold Cup. Morgan had been headed to a National Women’s Soccer League preseason tournament, but now she was needed in camp with the United States women’s national team.
Morgan grabbed her unpacked bag and continued on to LA to join the United States. The next day, she subbed on in the 67th minute of the United States’ game against Dominican Republic and scored the final goal of the 5-0 win from the penalty spot.
“I wanted to stay ready in case of injury or anything, and that’s what I did,” Morgan told ESPN’s Futbol Americas on Monday. “I worked hard, dug in with San Diego, did extra with Casey [Stoney], our coach at San Diego, and wanted to just use this preseason as an opportunity for myself to grow as a player and as a teammate, and was fortunate enough to get the call.”
