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This article originally appeared in the January/February 2016 issue of SELF.
Alex Morgan is one of the fastest players on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.
But she wants to be even faster.
She is a woman with #Goals, big-time.
Until I notice that she’s tethered to Schuck with a dual resistance band around both their waists.
Despite the challenge to her natural velocity, she still blazes ahead, ponytail flying like a whip.
Eight intervals later, she stops for a break.
“Do I think I can get better?”
Morgan asks, with a determined grin.
“Yes, I think I can.”
Morgan, 26, has always been on the fast track.
At the 2012 Olympics, she netted the game-winning goal in the last 45 seconds of the semifinal.
It’s moments like thosewhen the stadium is packed and tension is highthat Morgan excels.
“My favorite goals are the ones when there’s so much pressure,” she says.
“I focus more when the game is on the line.”
That match averaged a record 26.7millionviewers, making it the most-watched soccer gamemen’s or women’sin U.S. television history.
Still, Morgan takes her soccer stardom in stride.
“I always tried to make my family proud,” she says.
“My motivation was winning and proving that I belong on a team.”
Check, check, checkand she did it all by age 26.
“You hit the reset button,” she says.
And you set a few more seemingly unreachable goals.
“I could always score goals.
The points would translate into dollars toward a new car for college (yes, major incentive).
Jenny got a lot of As and asked for a Mercury sedan.
Jeri got good grades and made the cheerleading squad: She got a Chevy truck.
But Alex took the game to another level.
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That kind of drive earned Morgan an athletic scholarship to the University of California in Berkeley.
While there, she racked up all-Pac-10 honors and was a 2010 all-American.
Especially Abby Wambach, who recently retired but was Morgan’s wingwoman on the field.
“She was always super positive, telling me, ‘Take that shot.
I know you have it in you.
You’re going to break all my records and score more goals than I will.’
She instilled that confidence in me from day one.”
And from day one, Morgan has been explosive on the field.
She has written a series for young readers,The Kicks, designed to empower this audience.
(The next book will be published in March.)
“It’s about seeing girls be confident in what they want to pursue,” Morgan says.
There is an upcoming Olympics to win this summer, in Rio de Janeiro.
And a World Cup after that in 2019, in France.
But for the moment, Morgan says she has another priority: “working on myself.”
And enjoying a little downtime.
Last winter, she married her longtime boyfriend, Servando Carrasco, a midfielder for the Orlando City team.
Their chaotic schedulesMorgan trains up to seven days a week during the seasoncan present a challenge.
“I’m never just on the couch.
Being busy is part of who I am,” she says.
“But it’s hard juggling my family, my husband, balancing that time.”
“Two pro athletes in one family is crazy, but it’s our normal!”
They make it work by motivating each other and not letting fame get in the way.
“We don’t publicize our relationship that much.
Their bond is tight, as they dated for seven years after meeting at Berkeley.
“He’s incredibly supportive, and I think that says something about his character,” Morgan says.
“You have to be an extremely confident person to be with a really successful woman.”
A typical date night might involve a simple dinner out.
While she focuses on fueling her body, she doesn’t obsess over her diet.
“I take a stab at stay healthy, but I have cravings, too,” she says.
“Sometimes I want a steak!”
Staying strong will be key for the next phase of her career.
“I’ll play for as long as my body can last at this level,” says Morgan.
“My goal is to become the best player in the world.
Or the best player I can bring out in myself.”
Her fansand future soccer starswill be watching.
“When I leave the game, I want to go out on top,” Morgan says.
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Photo Credit: Jacob Sutton
