After a World Cup victory on Sunday and a parade through New York City’s Canyon of Heroes on Wednesday morning, The U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) received even more accolades after flying to Los Angeles for the 2019 ESPYS in the evening.
The U.S. took home the ESPY for Best Team, while Alex Morgan took home the ESPY for Best Female Athlete. Morgan became the second player in USWNT history to win the award, joining Mia Hamm, who won the award in both 1998 and 2000.
From World Cup champions to Best Female Athlete … Alex Morgan is stacking up the trophies ? #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/s5KYSRi1YO
— ESPN (@espn) July 11, 2019
“I think about the greats that have won this award in the past, and I’m just so honored to follow in their amazing footsteps,” Morgan said in her acceptance speech. “They not only won championships and countless records but were an inspiration to so many, including me, as I dreamed of playing the sport that I love. As athletes we try to surround ourselves with the best people to help lift us up and to help make this journey possible, and I’m so fortunate to have that in my life.”
Morgan started off the World Cup on a dominating note, scoring five goals in the opener against Thailand, the most goals in a Women’s World Cup game, while also tying the record for the most goals in a game in USWNT history.
Morgan added another goal in the semifinal against England, while also adding three assists in the Thailand match to take home the tournament’s Silver Boot award.
The ESPYS and World Cup Silver Boot award are just the latest hardware in Morgan’s decorated career, along with the two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
Morgan also has been named the CONCACAF Women’s Player of the Year four times (2013, 2016-18), a World Player of the Year finalist in 2012 and the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in both 2012 and 2018. Morgan also recently scored her 100th career international goal against Australia in April, becoming just the seventh player in team history to reach the mark.
Victory Tour
The U.S. will now begin their 2019 World Cup Victory Tour, a set of five matches at different locations around the country to celebrate the World Cup victory. The first match will be on August 3 against the Republic of Ireland at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, while the other four games locations and opponents will be announced at a later date.
How to Watch
The first Victory Tour match against Ireland kicks off at 8 p.m. MT on Saturday, August 3 and can be seen on ESPN2.
