USWNT: Top Spot for London, but will Morgan Start?

Alex Morgan 

The USWNT played some impressive soccer over the past couple weeks. They made a trip up north to Canada in an attempt to qualify for the London Olympics. The team made their way to the finals to face one of their biggest rivals, Canada. Although the rivalry is heavily dominated by the Americans, Canada saw around 25,000 fans come to BC Place in Vancouver to cheer them on. However, the fans were unable to strengthen the Canadian squad enough, and the United States took the win.

The star of the game was undoubtedly Alex Morgan.

Alex Morgan is creating quite the stir in the USWNT scene beginning with the last world cup. Morgan has often been used as a late game substitute, using speed and precision to penetrate defenses. She has shown again and again that she is quality on ball and off of the ball. On Sunday, she was given the start, and proved that she is just as deadly when facing fresh opponents, scoring twice and assisting on one of Wambach's goals. Her nickname "Baby Horse" began trending on twitter after her first goal, and it was explained to me that she got the name for her speed, and youth.

Pia Sundhage, the Women's National team coach told the media after the game, "We have so many options and if  I look at the bench, and all 20 players are good players, and our job, especially when we play at a tournament, is to find the best starting lineup." She went on to say that she felt that Lauren Cheney is one of the best players, but the combination between Alex and Abby was the better choice today. Pia led the US to first place in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying. The team finished the tournament with 38 goals for, 0 against.

With the plethora of talent in the USWNT pool, Pia is left with a task that many coaches would envy, deciding between an Alex Morgan and a Lauren Cheney. If the London Olympics were tomorrow, I would put my money on Alex Morgan being in the starting 11, but the games aren't for a few months, so there is a big question mark regarding both the formation the team will be in, and who will be filling those spots. Alex Morgan, whether it be her youth and good looks, or pace and touch on the ball, is winning over the hearts of more and more USWNT fans. If her popularity continues to grow, it is going to be harder and harder for Pia to justify keeping her off of the pitch, even if there is a more effective combination.