Drawing Surprise Comparison to Canada’s Drone Scandal, Alex Morgan Reflects on USWNT’s 2019 World Cup Struggles

The Paris Olympics 2024 became monumental for the USWNT, as they won the Olympic gold medal after the 2012 London Olympics. Yet, the major news became the Canadian national team’s drone issues. The team management used drones before their match against New Zealand to analyze their tactics. This became problematic, as head coach Bev Priestman and other management members were sent packing. On the flip side, Alex Morgan compared that to the 2019 World Cup struggles in an interview.

The Canadian soccer team went all in, showing their might. They reached the quarterfinals of the Olympics, bowing out to Germany on penalties. Yes, it became a show of defiance and courage from the team showered with controversies from the start. Similarly, the 2019 Women’s World Cup saw USWNT heading to the tournament amidst equal pay issues and other complications.

In the latest interview of ‘A Touch More’ by Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, the recently retired Alex Morgan appeared to discuss her reflections on the 2019 fiasco.

Alex Morgan mirrors 2019 World Cup success to Canadian soccer drone issue!

Having a point to prove, the USWNT icon, Alex Morgan, reflects on their success and how the Canadian national team had a similar goal to prove after the Olympics fiasco. With the team’s coaches sent home, the players took it upon themselves to save the face of their country. Performing admirably well, they reached the quarterfinals.

Alex Morgan stated, “I don’t want to like to compare that to like Canada. In a way, this Olympics, Canada had to come together because of this whole like drone scandal, whatever. That wasn’t the players. That was the federation that fed up. And so, the players felt like they had to come together. So I felt like for us, we didn’t have no, there’s no other option. Like we have to dominate from start to finish. We have to show everyone that we were the best.”

The team eventually won the World Cup thanks to electrifying performances from Rapinoe and Alex Morgan. Every single player from the USWNT played like their lives depended on it for that World Cup. After the World Cup, their fight for equal pay finally found some respite after the US Soccer Federation agreed on a settlement of $24 million.

She continued, “How weird is it to literally be, I mean, in a legal battle with your employer? It is bizarre. There are also kind of wanting you to win but they are probably not gonna be mad if you don’t win. Because that helps their case. So, we had like a statement to make for sure. Like, it was like we had to win. There was no other option.”

The Canadian soccer staff received multiple bans due to their involvement in drone spying incidents. External reviews are ongoing and they will conclude soon. In the meantime, Alex Morgan retired from soccer and looks to spend time with her family. From one perspective, it is safe to say there are comparisons between the Canadian soccer team and USWNT.

But did the Canadian national team have a golden chance of winning the Olympics with USWNT shining under Emma Hayes? That’s a conversation for another day.