MELBOURNE, Australia — There were tears, ugly tears, in the aftermath of the briefest major tournament in U.S. women’s national team history. There were hugs, bereft and beaten hugs, as American players exited the 2023 World Cup by a margin of millimeters. They’d prepared for a lengthy stay Down Under. Instead, they crashed to Earth earlier than ever before. And so, even with emotions raw, a reckoning began.
“The game is evolving,” Alex Morgan said.
And the USWNT, suddenly, rather than driving its evolution, is scrambling to keep up.
“I'm still hopeful with the future of this team,” Morgan emphasized.