|
A strong performance at the Olympic qualifying tournament in January propelled Morgan into the lineup, and she's justified the promotion by piling up goals and setting up Wambach during the run-up to London. The latest proof came in her game-winner, using the very technique her coach had told her wasn't her thing earlier this year.
"How good will she be in four years?" Sundhage said. "Depends on what she wants."
The goal against Canada was Morgan's third of the Olympics and her team-high 20th in 2012, joining Mia Hamm (1998), Kristine Lilly (1999) and Wambach (2007) as the only U.S. players with 20 goals in a calendar year.
U.S. women's soccer gets a lot of love during the World Cup and Olympics, but it often takes a long publicity hiatus after the Summer Games. It'll be three years before the next World Cup, and it's uncertain whether there will be yet another attempt to form a top-flight U.S. women's league anytime soon.
A marketable player like Morgan can boost the sport's profile during the down times, especially if the public has memories of game-winners on a march to the gold.
"I think maybe in the beginning people saw her as a pretty face who scores goals," Rapinoe said. "But she's so much more than that. Her game has developed so much."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor