Cal Soccer: Alex Morgan Set to Play on Loan With Tottenham Hotspur

Landing high-scoring U.S. star is considered a "coup" for the Women's Super League

Aaron Rodgers and Marcus Semien are among the best-known former ex-Cal stars on the current American sports landscape. Jaylen Brown and Collin Morikawa are beginning to emerge as well.

But worldwide, few Golden Bears have the profile to match Alex Morgan, the star of U.S. victories in the past two Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Morgan, who played at Cal from 2007-10 and became a mother for the first time last spring, is about to take her game overseas for the second time in her career, headed on loan to London’s Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women’s Super League for the final four months of this year.

Her deal with Tottenham also has an option to remain with the club through the end of its season in May, reports said.

She will be the fifth member of the U.S. Women’s National Team to sign with a WSL team, joining Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle, who have signed on with Manchester City, and Tobin Heath and Christen Press, now on boar with Manchester United.

But Morgan’s place among them will be special. The Guardian, a British daily, wrote, "Morgan will undoubtedly be the highest-profile import in the history of domestic women’s football in England.” The newspaper’s headline called it a “remarkable coup for WSL.”

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Morgan famously celebrated her goal against England in the U.S. team’s 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory by pretending to sip tea.

She will be familiar with her new digs, as the USWNT utilized the Tottenham training facilities as its base leading to the 2019 World Cup.

Morgan, 31, has scored 107 times for the USWNT in 169 international appearances. She plays domestically in the National Women’s Soccer League for the Orlando Pride.

In August, she made her return to training after the birth of her first child, daughter Charlie, on May 7. Pride coach Mark Skinner said earlier this month that Morgan was beginning to round into form.

"She looks great," Skinner said. "I've put her through some of her paces out on the field and she's sharp in mind as well as body.”

Morgan won the Silver Boot at the 2019 World Cup, where scored five goals against Thailand in the USA’s 13-0 victory on the way to her second World Cup trophy. She joins Pride teammates Shelina Zadorsky and Alanna Kennedy, who also signed loan deals with Tottenham this summer.

This will be Morgan’s second time joining a European team after spending the 2017 season at Lyon, where she won a league title, the French Cup and a Champions League winner’s medal. Morgan’s contributions in Lyon were limited by injuries she battled at the time.

In addition to two World Cup victories, Morgan helped the U.S. claim Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games, scoring the extra-time winner against Canada in the semi-final.

Because she is an allocated player in the NWSL, Morgan’s league salary is paid by U.S. Soccer, and there is no transfer fee due to either the Pride or the U.S. federation.

Tottenham was promoted to the English top division this year.

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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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