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LOS ANGELES — I wasn’t looking for Alex Morgan when I stopped by the San Diego Wave’s sprawling practice facility last month. I was there to talk to Landon Donovan, the other national team legend, who had just been named the Wave’s interim coach.
But Morgan sidled over after practice anyway and we talked for about 20 minutes. She chatted about her daughter Charlie, who has been the subject of most conversations with Morgan over the last four years. But she also talked about her charitable foundation, the businesses she hopes to start, her husband Servando Carrasco and the homemade food she prepares for her two dogs.
What she didn’t talk about was soccer. And if ever there was a sign that Morgan was ready to move on from the sport that had long defined her life, that conversation on a windswept bluff overlooking the 5 Freeway was it.
Last Thursday, Morgan made it official, announcing her retirement from professional soccer in an emotional 4 1/2-minute video she posted to social media. She played her final game Sunday in San Diego, her new hometown, against the North Carolina Courage.
“I’m retiring,” she said during the video, in which she also announced she is pregnant again. “And I have so much clarity about this decision. It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy.”
“Soccer’s been a part of me for 30 years,” she continued, pausing frequently to take deep breaths and compose herself. “It was one of the first things I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”
Morgan, 35, who learned the game playing on AYSO teams in Diamond Bar, will leave as one of the greatest players ever. A two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist and NWSL titlist, Morgan was also a three-time finalist for FIFA’s world player of the year. Her 123 international goals — 14 more than Lionel Messi — rank ninth all time, regardless of gender.
But she wasn’t just a scorer, she was a winner: In the 86 international matches in which she had a goal, the U.S. never lost, going 76-0-10.
“In a storied USWNT program, Alex has been one of the all-time bests to wear the jersey,” said Jill Ellis, who coached Morgan to her two World Cup titles and then, as president of the Wave, made Morgan the centerpiece of the expansion team’s first roster.
Wherever she went during much of her 15-year professional career, Morgan was trailed by a legion of young fans, their haired tucked into a tight ponytail like Morgan’s and their tiny bodies wrapped in Morgan’s No. 13 jersey. A typical home game ended with Morgan patiently walking the length of the grandstands, signing autographs and posing for photos.
Partly as a result, Morgan became one of the world’s most popular players and the USWNT has become the country’s most popular women’s national team. In Morgan’s first season, the team averaged less than 6,000 fans for eight home games; in her last full season, it drew more than three times as many.
“She’s grown into this role. I think she could see what it meant to the girls,” said her father Mike, one of her first coaches and still her greatest cheerleader.
Yet she did more to change the game off the field. She was a relentless and outspoken advocate for women’s sports, suing FIFA over its use of artificial turf fields in the 2015 World Cup, then serving as the lead plaintiff in the national team’s lawsuit against its own federation, one that led to a historic agreement with U.S. Soccer to pay the men’s and women’s national teams equally.
Once U.S. Soccer’s “it girl,” as likely to land on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a swimsuit as in a soccer kit, Morgan, matured into a two-time selection for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
“Her impact has been beyond medals and trophies,” Ellis added. “Her legacy to the game will be the doors she helped open and the young players she inspired.”
But like all great players, Morgan couldn’t outrun time. After taking time off to give birth to Charlie, Morgan had to earn her way back on to the national team for the Tokyo Olympics. A year later she had her last dominant international performance, scoring a tournament-best three goals — including the game winner in the final against Canada — to lead the U.S. to the CONCACAF W championship in Mexico.
That year she also won her first NWSL Golden Boot, scoring a league-leading 15 goals. But hampered by injuries and poor form, she has scored just 10 times for club and country in the last two years, getting shut out in last summer’s World Cup and failing to make the roster for this summer’s Olympics, the first major tournament she’s missed since 2008.
In her absence, forwards Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith — none of whom is older than 26 — combined for 10 goals to give the U.S. its first Olympic title since 2012. The torch, Morgan acknowledged, had been passed.
In her retirement video, which she ended by thanking the fans, Morgan touched on her coming transition from soccer superstar to soccer mom and the role she played in opening that door.
“Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up she wants to be a soccer player,” Morgan said. “It just made me immensely proud. Not because I wish for her to be a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now.
“We’re changing lives. The impact we have on the next generation is irreversible, and I’m proud in the hand I had in making that happen and pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m both happy and proud of.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/10/alex-morgan-usa-soccer-star-retires-orlando-pride-nwsl/
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins have any number of reasons to be distracted on a short week as they answer more questions from the media about the aftermath of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s detainment and treatment from police Sunday than the game itself.
But quarterback Tua Tagovailoa assures that the Dolphins are prepared to take on the Buffalo Bills in a key AFC East showdown Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium with so much else swirling around the team.
“Every game, to us, is important,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday amid three days of rapid preparation following Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, “but I think guys that are in the locker room, guys are in the right frame of mind. Guys are ready to play this game.”
Tagovailoa is aware of the narratives surrounding the Dolphins and Bills as the two teams appear, once again, primed to battle for AFC East supremacy. The previous battles have gone Buffalo’s way. The Bills have won four consecutive division titles and have won 11 of the past 12 pairings between rivals.
“That’s going to be what’s written out there until we do something about that,” said Tagovailoa, who enters 1-6 against Buffalo in his career. “That’s going to be the narrative, that we can’t beat the Bills, and until we do beat them and we beat them consistently, none of that’s going to change. And we have an opportunity to do that this year. We have an opportunity to do that this Thursday.”
But he’s not letting any of the past, like last year’s loss at home in the regular-season finale that won the division for Buffalo, linger this season.
“Last year’s last year,” he said. “We’ll worry about this year.”
Tagovailoa noted that new safety Jordan Poyer, who came over from Buffalo and sits next to the Dolphins quarterback in the locker, can offer help with what the Bills do defensively, how they communicate, how they’ve stopped Miami previously and the overall philosophy of that defense.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa downplayed how much the presence of backup quarterback Mike White, who spent last season and the past training camp with the Dolphins, could help the Bills with him on their practice squad. Miami’s quarterback noted his team doesn’t even use signals to be picked up.
Mostert, Achane in question
The Dolphins merely held a walkthrough Tuesday after not practicing Monday, but in another estimated injury report, running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane were deemed as non-participants.
Mostert has a chest injury and Achane an ankle ailment coming off Sunday’s win against the Jaguars.
“It’s just a short week. There’s a process for everyone,” said offensive coordinator Frank Smith on Tuesday. “We have a bunch of guys that are very willing to do whatever is necessary and have complete skill sets. Whatever happens when we go to Thursday, we’ll have a plan to be able to get ourselves in the best position for competing on Thursday versus Buffalo.”
Jeff Wilson Jr. was the third running back up for Miami, and he was effective in the fourth quarter, taking five carries for a team-leading 26 yards.
Rookie running back Jaylen Wright was a healthy inactive, but he could be thrust into action Thursday if one or both of Achane and Mostert are unavailable or limited against the Bills.
“They may be a little banged up, but I still expect them to play,” Wright told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “But my main thing is, I just got to be ready for that time. Whenever that time is to come, it’s my opportunity.”
He added he’ll approach every week with the same mindset to be ready.
Smith noted overall needs of the team, including defense and special teams for why he was inactive Sunday.
Dolphins Deep Dive: Prediction time — will Miami win Thursday night vs. Josh Allen, Bills? | VIDEO
Jalen and Jaelan
Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was impressed with the way cornerback Jalen Ramsey and outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips handled surpassing their snap counts limitations Sunday.
“Both of those guys, you can have a plan and set a number,” he said, “but if we know anything about them, we know the competitive spirit in both of those two players is second to none. So when that game was tight, particularly in the fourth, there was no chance they weren’t going to be in the game.”
Weaver loved how Phillips played with a high motor, even making a late sack on Trevor Lawrence that led to Miami getting the ball back for the game-winning field goal.
“For him to come back, look how he did, be as impactful as he was, just so incredibly impressed by him, the man he is,” Weaver said. “It’s just his sheer fight, I saw it in his rehab and then for him to come back out there and just have the production he did and play the way he did. I call him Mariano Rivera; he is the closer for us and he did that in that game.”
Weaver mentioned how safety Jevon Holland punching the ball out for the forced fumble that flipped momentum in the second half against Jacksonville was something coaches preach in practice, “shots on goal,” or attempts to strip a football on a ball carrier.
Sanders resilient
Dolphins special teams coordinator Danny Crossman knew kicker Jason Sanders would bounce back for the tying and winning field goals after missing an earlier kick.
“It’s like any highly trained professional. One hiccup, you don’t blink,” Crossman said. “You’re going to have some hiccups. You can’t think about it. You go back to your techniques, your fundamentals, get your head space correct and go back to work.”
The special teams coach said simply of Sanders’ miss: “He missed it. There is a couple of things that go into it. We can’t miss those. One-hundred percent, we need to have that kick, but you get off a little bit on timing and rhythm and don’t hit the ball properly, that’s what’s going to happen.”
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/10/tua-says-dolphins-in-right-frame-of-mind-for-key-thursday-game-vs-bills-raheem-mostert-devon-achane-status-in-doubt/
MIAMI GARDENS — One of the biggest games on the Miami Dolphins’ schedule is Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills. But because of the Tyreek Hill incident on Sunday, few fans and media in South Florida are talking about the Bills game as anything but a respite, an escape from reality.
What matters more, however, is how the Dolphins coaches and players view this game.
What also matters greatly is whether the Dolphins can stop star Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who has an 11-2 record against Miami.
Buffalo has won the past three AFC East titles.
In the two-year coach Mike McDaniel/quarterback Tua Tagovailoa era, the Bills have beaten the Dolphins four of the five times they’ve played, including the playoffs.
The Bills have been dominant as far as the Dolphins are concerned.
The Dolphins (1-0) could certainly use a victory over the Bills (1-0) on Thursday for many reasons.
With that in mind, here are five things to watch for in Thursday’s game:
Dolphins’ focus
It’s tough to say whether the Dolphins will be focused on football Thursday night. It’s asking a lot.
The incident between Hill and the police has made national news.
It’s all that’s consumed South Florida for the past couple of days.
We don’t know whether it’s consumed the Dolphins, but considering players have spouses, girlfriends, friends, relatives and social media, it’s safe to assume this story has been a primary topic of discussion in their lives, too.
How have the Dolphins handled national distractions recently?
Well, in 2023, amid the national controversy of the Dolphins owner Steve Ross being suspended and the organization fined $1.5 million for tampering with quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton, the Dolphins made the playoffs.
In 2016, amid the national controversy of players, mostly notably wide receiver Kenny Stills, taking one knee during the national anthem to protest social injustices, they made the playoffs.
But they missed the playoffs in 2017 and 2018, while Stills’ kneeling continued and stayed in the national spotlight.
In 2013, amid the national controversy of the bullying scandal, the Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs.
Allen wearing his Superman outfit
Allen, who has crushed the Dolphins during his career, seems to be in midseason form already. He had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in Buffalo’s 34-28 victory over Arizona.
Allen sustained an injury to his left (non-throwing) hand in the win, but he’s been cleared to play.
If the Dolphins can slow Allen, they have a chance to win.
Of course, over the past two seasons, a span of five games against the Dolphins, Allen has totaled 15 passing touchdowns, four interceptions, one rushing touchdown and 230 yards rushing.
Dolphins Deep Dive: Prediction time — will Miami win Thursday night vs. Josh Allen, Bills? | VIDEO
McDaniel’s play-calling
The Bills have beaten the Dolphins by an average score of 31-23 in the McDaniel era.
Just as Dolphins players must be better against the Bills, McDaniel must also be better.
McDaniel must figure a way for his offense to be more than big plays.
The Dolphins gained 400 yards in the 20-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. But 223 of those yards came on five passing plays (45 yards per play).
That means Miami gained just 177 yards on its other 66 plays (2.7 yards per play).
A good place to start is the ground game.
The Dolphins’ rushing offense only totaled 81 yards on 25 carries (3.2 yards per carry).
As for the passing game, McDaniel called lots of passing plays near or behind the line of scrimmage. Jacksonville appeared ready for those.
More offensive diversity could help.
Dolphins’ defense
New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had a second-half shutout against Jacksonville. While doing so he used cornerback Jalen Ramsey on both sides of the field and even used edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in a different position (lined up across from the left tackle instead of the right tackle).
That was good stuff.
Now, Weaver must devise a defense to corral Allen.
Discipline will be among the top priorities because if you give Allen a rushing lane, he’ll take it. So the Dolphins must maintain their assignments.
Also, playmaking helps, as the Dolphins saw when safety Jevon Holland made the play of the game by punching the ball away from Jags running back Travis Etienne. Cornerback Kader Kohou recovered the fumble in the end zone.
Between running back James Cook (19 carries, 71 yards vs. Arizona) and rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman (four receptions, 51 yards) the Bills aren’t that dangerous.
The big threat is Allen.
The Dolphins must contain Allen.
Tyreek Hill
Hill, arguably the Dolphins’ best player, seems as though he’ll be focused.
He had seven receptions for 130 yards vs. the Jaguars after being detained by police outside the stadium, including that game-changing 80-yard touchdown reception.
Hill has been money for the Dolphins the past two seasons, amassing more than 1,700 yards receiving both years.
The smart money says Hill will be focused and highly motivated to play well on national TV.
But keep in mind the Bills have kept Hill under control, for the most part.
He has 28 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns in a five-game span against the Bills.
Given that, it’s little wonder Miami is 1-4 against Buffalo during the past two seasons.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/10/things-to-watch-for-in-thursday-nights-miami-dolphins-vs-buffalo-bills-game/
MIAMI GARDENS — The Miami Dolphins have any number of reasons to be distracted on a short week as they answer more questions from the media about the aftermath of star wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s detainment and treatment from police Sunday than the game itself.
But quarterback Tua Tagovailoa assures that the Dolphins are prepared to take on the Buffalo Bills in a key AFC East showdown Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium with so much else swirling around the team.
“Every game, to us, is important,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday amid three days of rapid preparation following Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, “but I think guys that are in the locker room, guys are in the right frame of mind. Guys are ready to play this game.”
Tagovailoa is aware of the narratives surrounding the Dolphins and Bills as the two teams appear, once again, primed to battle for AFC East supremacy. The previous battles have gone Buffalo’s way. The Bills have won four straight division titles and have won 11 of the last 12 pairings between rivals.
“That’s going to be what’s written out there until we do something about that,” said Tagovailoa, who enters 1-6 against Buffalo in his career. “That’s going to be the narrative, that we can’t beat the Bills, and until we do beat them and we beat them consistently, none of that’s going to change. And we have an opportunity to do that this year. We have an opportunity to do that this Thursday.”
But he’s not letting any of the past, like last year’s loss at home in the regular season finale that won the division for Buffalo, linger this season.
“Last year’s last year,” he said. “We’ll worry about this year.”
Tagovailoa noted that new safety Jordan Poyer, who came over from Buffalo and sits next to the Dolphins quarterback in the locker, can offer help with what the Bills do defensively, how they communicate, how they’ve stopped Miami previously and the overall philosophy of that defense.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa downplayed how much the presence of backup quarterback Mike White, who spent last season and the past training camp with the Dolphins, could help the Bills with him on their practice squad. Miami’s quarterback noted his team doesn’t even use signals to be picked up.
Mostert, Achane in question
The Dolphins merely held a walkthrough Tuesday after not practicing Monday, but in another estimated injury report, running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane were deemed as non-participants.
Mostert has a chest injury and Achane an ankle ailment coming off Sunday’s win against the Jaguars.
“It’s just a short week. There’s a process for everyone,” said offensive coordinator Frank Smith on Tuesday. “We have a bunch of guys that are very willing to do whatever is necessary and have complete skill sets. Whatever happens when we go to Thursday, we’ll have a plan to be able to get ourselves in the best position for competing on Thursday versus Buffalo.”
Jeff Wilson Jr. was the third running back up for Miami, and he was effective in the fourth quarter, taking five carries for a team-leading 26 yards.
Rookie running back Jaylen Wright was a healthy inactive, but he could be thrust into action Thursday if one or both of Achane and Mostert are unavailable or limited against the Bills.
“They may be a little banged up, but I still expect them to play,” Wright told the Sun Sentinel. “But my main thing is, I just got to be ready for that time. Whenever that time is to come, it’s my opportunity.”
He added he’ll approach every week with the same mindset to be ready.
Smith noted overall needs of the team, including defense and special teams for why he was inactive Sunday.
This story will be updated.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/10/tua-says-dolphins-in-right-frame-of-mind-for-key-thursday-game-vs-bills-raheem-mostert-devon-achane-status-in-doubt/
If Gators fire Billy Napier, DJ Lagway might be quarterbacking FSU, UCF or Miami next year | Comment
DJ Lagway, after throwing for a freshman record 456 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday in his debut as a collegiate starting quarterback, was asked about why he chose a struggling University of Florida program when he could have gone to any college football powerhouse in the country.
The first words out of his mouth when he answered the question were these: “Coach Napier, of course — and the fan base. The fan base has shown me love since Day 1. I’m a Gator through and through.”
The $25 million (amount of coach Billy Napier’s contract buyout) question is this: Will Lagway, the top high school quarterback recruit in the country last season, still be a Gator if that fan base runs Napier out of town?
Or, to put it another way, can Lagway save Napier’s job?
This is something UF fans, boosters and administrators must consider in the coming weeks as they debate Napier’s future. If it means keeping the supremely talented and gracious Lagway in the fold for the next two years, are they willing to stick with Napier as the head coach?
It’s certainly not a stretch to surmise that if Billy Napier stays, DJ Lagway stays.
And if Billy Napier goes, DJ Lagway might just be the starting quarterback of the Miami Hurricanes, UCF Knights or Florida State Seminoles next season.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, barring a complete disaster — such as a 3-9 or 4-8 type of season — I believe Napier should be given a fourth year to rebuild the Florida program. Instead of boosters raising the $25 million to buy out Napier’s contract and start all over again, the money would be better spent buying a bunch of talented players to help Napier and Lagway win.
Of course, after the season-opening debacle against Miami, the narrative for Napier quickly shifted from bad to worse. There has even been some media speculation that the boosters were already pooling their money to buy out Napier.
Of course, that’s just the way it is in Gainesville, where UF is an abbreviation for Unforgiving Faction. The Gators almost always panic and pull the plug on coaches way too soon.
Jim McElwain went to two straight SEC Championship Games — albeit, getting crushed by Nick Saban’s Alabama machine both times — and the Gators fired him and bought out his contract in the middle of this third season because he purportedly lied about getting a death threat.
Then there was Dan Mullen, who went to three straight New Year’s Six bowl games and was fired and bought out in the midst of his fourth season because the Gators were 5-6 at the time and Mullen had reportedly lost interest in recruiting. You wonder if Mullen — an excellent play-caller and game-day coach — had been given the resources, structure and all of the recruiting staffers that Napier has been given could he have thrived?
As somebody who grew up in Gainesville following the Gators and went to the University of Florida, I can tell you it’s traditionally not easy to win there. Many Gator fans have always had an inflated opinion of where their program stacks up against the other storied programs in college football. As the late, great sports writer Dan Jenkins wrote about UF fans in the 1970s: “They have the arrogance of Notre Dame and the tradition of Wake Forest.”
The fact is, Florida’s history of football dominance is brief and consists of the 18 aggregate seasons in which two of the greatest coaches of all time — Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer — coached the team. Spurrier and Meyer combined for three national championships and eight SEC championships. In the 72 other seasons of SEC competition under 14 different coaches, the Gators have combined for zero national and conference championships.
It seems unfathomable that Napier is already on the firing line two games into his third season. He was given a brief reprieve after Lagway led a 45-7 rout of lower-division Samford last weekend, but the noxious negativity and calls for his firing will crank up again if the Gators lose at home to Texas A&M on Saturday.
Maybe I’m old school, but I’ve never really understood why so many “fans” are so quick to sabotage their own program so early in the season. Their condemnation and criticism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Players, recruits and parents read all of the hostility and anger toward Napier on social media and they, too, begin to turn on their head coach.
No matter what happens this Saturday or next Saturday, I don’t know what good it does to fire the head coach early in the season. It’s not like Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin or Ohio State coach Ryan Day or any of the other other big-name replacements being thrown against the wall on social media are actually going to take the job at midseason — if at all.
Certainly, Napier’s job performance needs to be scrutinized and evaluated after going just 12-15 overall and 2-10 against ranked teams, but let’s see how the rest of season progresses. Maybe Lagway continues to develop and turns into a superstar by season’s end, and the Gators pull off some major upsets in the back half of their schedule.
At the very least, Lagway gives the program a glimmer of hope for the future.
That should be enough for Florida administrators to withstand the criticism and stand by their coach – at least until Halloween.
Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/09/10/florida-gators-billy-napier-dj-lagway-ucf-fsu-canes-mike-bianchi-commentary/
