US Women’s National Team (USWNT) striker Alex Morgan, 34, is one of the biggest stars in women’s football, already an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time World Cup winner. The American is heading into her fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup and ranks in the top 10 in USWNT history in goals, assists and multi-goal games. Morgan first caught the eye a decade ago at the 2011 World Cup in Germany when she was the youngest player in the American squad but, undaunted by the international spotlight, scored in both the semi-final and final as the US finished runners-up to Japan. Since then, she has gone from strength to strength, shrugging off her old nickname of “Baby Horse” to be described as a “full-on stallion” by her international teammate Megan Rapinoe. Morgan has become an icon and an inspiration to young girls around the world and is also a New York Times Best-Selling author and film star, playing herself in Alex and Me (2018), even serving with the US State Department on a diplomatic mission to Tanzania in 2017. She has not entirely avoided controversy, however, having been kicked out of the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World resort in Bay Lake, Florida, in October 2017 along with a group of friends said to be “highly impaired” and “verbally aggressive”, an incident for which she swiftly apologised. Morgan also raised eyebrows at the 2019 World Cup in France when she scored against England in the semi-final and celebrated with a tea-sipping celebration, appearing to mock her opposition, although she has since claimed the gesture was misunderstood. Born in the California suburb of Diamond Bar near San Dimas on 2 July 1989, Morgan was a multi-sport athlete known for her speed at high school and did not begin playing football exclusively until she was 14 and joined local club side Cypress Elite. Get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here She was soon playing for the Olympic Development Program’s regional and state teams as well, which she credits as integral to her development, and was called up to the US under-20 women’s team at 17, only for an anterior cruciate ligament injury to set back her progress. Morgan subsequently attended UC Berkeley, taking a degree in Political Economy while playing for the California Golden Bears from 2007 to 2010, finishing her college career with an impressive haul of 46 goals. Turning professional in 2011, the same year she announced her arrival at the World Cup, Morgan played for Western New York Flash, before moving to Seattle Sounders for a season, where she played with international teammates Hope Solo and Rapinoe, before being transferred again and spending two years with Portland Thorns FC. In 2015, she joined Orlando Pride in Florida, where she has been even since, barring short spells with Lyon in France in 2017 and Tottenham in England in 2020, where she made just four appearances but scored twice as she continued her return to match fitness after taking time away from the game to give birth to her first child, a daughter, Charlie Elena Carrasco, on 7 May 2020. She subsequently returned to Orlando Pride before signing for San Diego Wave in 2022, scoring an impressive 20 in 28 games so far. Her husband, Servando Carrasco, whom she met at university and married in 2014, is also a footballer, currently playing as a defensive midfielder for Fort Lauderdale FC. Morgan helped Team USA capture gold at the 2012 London Olympics highlighted by her goal in the semi-final win against Canada and subsequently picked up a bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games, winning the 2015 and 2019 World Cups with the USWNT either side of those honours. Read More FIFA Women’s World Cup fixtures and full schedule Women’s football world rankings: Who could take No 1 at the World Cup? Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Trinity Rodman: The emerging USWNT talent with a famous father in profile World Cup updates and final score from USWNT and Vietnam Rice makes Arsenal debut and Crawley hits Ashes ton – Thursday’s sporting social

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West Ham boss David Moyes likes the sound of his Hammers side being at the top of the Premier League table as they returned to the summit with a 2-1 win at Luton. Goals from Jarrod Bowen and Kurt Zouma were enough for the visitors to claim all three points, with Mads Andersen’s stoppage-time header a consolation at Kenilworth Road. Moyes said: “It’s Luton at home, the first game back in the Premier League and once we got into it, we did well enough. “For a little while (we’re top), but it’s nice for people to say that – it’s good, I like the sound of it and long may it continue. “It was a really good ball from (Lucas) Paqueta and a finish from Jarrod, so really pleased. “It’s not easy to come here in the first Premier League game of the season, so overall we did well. “Kurt’s goal took the game away from them, we were the better team and we probably should have been further in front. “Two or three counter-attacking moments where we have been so slick with it recently. “Our away form had been poor, but our away form is brilliant now. “Today was a bit of the same, we played better, had to defend really as well as their style of play will cause a lot of teams problems and I thought our defenders did really well.” A quiet first half saw Ross Barkley drag two chances wide for Luton, with Said Benrahma off target for the Hammers, who went ahead after 37 minutes when Paqueta’s cross was powered home by Bowen. Elijah Adebayo and Tahith Chong fired wide for Luton after the break before Emerson’s effort was ruled offside by VAR at the other end. With four minutes left, Zouma’s downward header doubled West Ham’s lead before Andersen pulled one back in stoppage time. Luton might have had a chance to equalise but a possible James Ward-Prowse handball from a corner in the dying seconds was not awarded. Luton boss Rob Edwards said of the late drama: “A lot of people are telling me that (it’s handball). “I’ve only seen a still, a freeze frame at the moment; I’ve not had a chance to see it back. “If it was, I’m disappointed, if it’s gone against us as those are the moments you need to go our way especially at this level to get results. “But I’m not going to complain about that now, or blame that, we’ve got to look at ourselves. “Me, myself as well, how we can keep getting better, I don’t want to keep saying the same things after the game. “Fine moments, basics, one cross into the box we didn’t deal with it well enough in the first half and a set-piece. “I will say that corner came from a corner that probably should have been our corner before that and then we conceded from it. “But I saw a team that was a lot more compact than in the last two games and I saw a team that was still aggressive and created chances.” After the game Luton announced the signing of Albert Sambi Lokonga on a season-long loan deal from Arsenal. The 23-year-old made 15 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners last season and was in attendance at Kenilworth Road. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sofyan Amrabat ‘will put everything’ into playing for Manchester United New signing Ryan Gravenberch says Liverpool one of ‘biggest clubs in the world’ Jonny Bairstow hoping to enjoy more fruitful partnerships with Harry Brook

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