Alex Morgan’s Insight on USMNT’s World Cup Aspirations

Alex Morgan, known for her remarkable achievements with the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT), shared her thoughts on the U.S. men’s national team as they gear up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the tournament hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, Morgan emphasized the significance of making it to the Round of 16.

Morgan, who retired in 2024, expressed her opinion during an appearance on “SportsCenter”. She stated, “I think that making it to the Round of 16 is probably kind of the threshold for this team. If we make it there, and we advance, that’s a huge success. If we make it there and we don’t [advance], I wouldn’t say that it’s a failure by any means.” Morgan highlighted that reaching this stage would be a testament to their momentum, influenced by the home crowd support, often touted as the “12th man” energy.

Further discussing the team’s potential, Morgan mentioned the experience brought by 13 players who had participated in the 2022 World Cup, where the USMNT advanced to the Round of 16 before losing to the Netherlands. Among these players is Christian Pulisic, a key attacker, who shared his sentiments with Newsweek. Pulisic’s perspective outlined the desire to leave the tournament with no regrets and the importance of giving everything as a team.

“To be honest, I just want to be able to look back on it whenever it’s done and have zero regrets and feel like we gave everything as a team,” Pulisic stated.

Pulisic emphasized the multitude of ways to measure success beyond just the tournament results. He noted that winning the World Cup remains the ultimate goal, but the pride lies in leaving everything on the field.

The USMNT has historically struggled to advance beyond the Round of 16, last achieving this during their quarterfinal loss to Germany in 2002. The tournament’s commencement will see the USMNT facing Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.