'Going to go far' - Morgan is betting on the USMNT this World Cup

Alex Morgan GFX

In a GOAL exclusive, USWNT legend Alex Morgan backs the U.S. men to make noise at the World Cup and shares her advice for handling the pressure.

If anyone knows what it feels like to be days away from a World Cup, it’s Alex Morgan.

The U.S. women’s national team legend played in three World Cups, won two of them, and also competed in three Olympics. She has been a starter on the world’s biggest stage, a bench option waiting for her moment, and a player left off a roster entirely. Now fully retired, Morgan is still around the game every day - as an investor in women’s sports, a founder of media company Togethxr, and, these days, a full-time soccer mom.

She’s busy, but not too busy to catch up with GOAL about the pressure, opportunity, and expectations facing the USMNT ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

“I’ve been both a bench player and a starter in World Cups, and things can change so quickly,” Morgan told GOAL. “You can literally be player No. 26, or you can be the first player that’s always called up, and it can change based on your opponent, based on the rhythm of the team, and who plays well together. So just be ready. Always be ready.”

Morgan will be attending all of the USMNT’s World Cup games in Los Angeles, and she believes Mauricio Pochettino’s side has the potential to make a real run.

“I feel like they’re gonna go far,” she said.

Morgan has also teamed up with brands connected to this summer’s tournament, including DraftKings, where she serves as an ambassador.

“This summer is obviously one of the biggest events in the world,” Morgan said. “I am an ambassador of DraftKings, and it’s great to see them also investing in female athletes for such a major event like this.”

For Morgan, though, the message to the USMNT is simple: start fast.

“I think the first game is the most important game for them to make their mark,” she said. “They can’t have to catch up and work their way into the tournament. They have to make a strong statement in game one.”

South Korea v United States

Morgan is betting big on the U.S. men

Call it national pride, blind optimism, or whatever else fits, but Morgan is all in on the USMNT this summer.

She has seen enough tournament soccer to know how quickly things can shift. Across 224 caps and 123 goals for the USWNT, Morgan won two World Cups, an Olympic gold medal, and an Olympic bronze medal, experiencing just about every version of life on the international stage along the way. So when she looks at this U.S. men’s team, she sees enough quality - and enough attacking options - to believe they can make a real run.

“I think that the men’s team has really good depth, and I think they have a lot of different options for threats on goal,” she said. “So I think that there are a lot of positives for this team, for sure. I think their last game against Germany was really a good step forward, and I honestly feel like they’re going to go far.”

Morgan won’t just be watching from afar, either. Based in San Diego with her family, she has concrete plans to be there in person for the USMNT’s group stage games in Los Angeles.

“I’m going to try and make as many games as I can,” Morgan said, “but we’ll start with LA on Friday.”

United States v Canada- 2024 SheBelieves Cup

'I think the men's team has really good depth'

No one knows exactly what Pochettino’s first XI will look like against Paraguay. That is part of the intrigue. But Morgan is not just looking at the starters. She is looking at the full group, and she believes the USMNT have enough options to evolve as the tournament goes on.

That matters in a World Cup, where one lineup rarely carries a team all the way through. Opponents change. Game states change. Injuries, cards and form all become part of the equation. For Morgan, the strength of this U.S. team is that Pochettino should have different ways to solve those problems.

“I’m really interested to see exactly who the 11 they’re gonna go with, and how then throughout the group stage that kind of morphs a little bit, because it always does,” she said. “I think that they have good depth in the back line, with their wing backs, with their forward line too, and just with their midfielders being very attacking-minded as well. They can score goals in all different ways.”

That is why Friday matters so much. The USMNT do not need to answer every question in one match, but Morgan believes they do need to set the tone early. In a home World Cup, with all the pressure and emotion that comes with it, easing into the tournament is not really an option.

Alex Morgan, USWNT

Why Morgan is tuning out the USMNT criticism

When Morgan was playing, criticism was part of the job. She had to take it head-on, handle it with grace, and then perform anyway. Now, with some distance from the field, she finds herself watching World Cup buildup with a little more optimism and a little less tension.

“I think I’m just a lot more optimistic than maybe I was as a player,” Morgan said. “I was always trying to tune out the noise, but obviously, seeing all the criticism come, it’s really hard to just not look.”

That perspective feels fitting for this USMNT group. The build toward 2026 has had its bumps, from uneven moments in 2025 to a March camp that left questions about form, preparation and whether the team was trending in the right direction. But Morgan has been around enough major tournaments to know the outside noise does not always tell the full story.

“As I’ve gone through it many times, I’ve seen a lot of what’s been written and said about the men,” Morgan said. “Saying they’re not prepared or the guys aren’t peaking at the right time, or that an individual player hasn’t played well. There’s just a lot of criticism, and I’ve kind of been on it from the inside.

“And I’m just like, well, you don’t want to peak early. Each individual doesn’t have to actually be at their very best six months leading into a tournament or having the best season leading into the World Cup.”

San Diego Wave v Houston Dash

'I feel really good about this'

For Morgan, that is the beauty - and chaos - of a World Cup.

A player can struggle in the build-up and still become the story of the tournament. A team can arrive with questions and leave with belief. And as much as Morgan understands the criticism that comes with the stage, she also knows how quickly one game, one moment or one goal can change everything.

“I think for me, I’m just now way more optimistic,” Morgan said. “Things can change so quickly in a tournament, for better or for worse, but I feel really good about this.”