Cal alum Alex Morgan, with WWC record tying 5 goals, leads USA to opener win over Miranda Nild and Thailand

It was all USA in this 2019 Women’s World Cup opening match for both the United States and Thailand on Tuesday night from Reims, France. With Cal alumni leading the attack on both side, the heavily favored USA routed the Thais.

Cal alumni Alex Morgan, who is legacy will be strongly tied to how the USWNT fare in their bid to repeat as World Cup champs this summer, got the scoring started. She kept her foot on the accelerator for the full 90+ minutes of this match and recorded 5 goals when it was all over.

Alex Morgan has tied Michelle Akers for the most goals in a Women’s World Cup match. Akers achieved her feat in a 7-0 USA win in the knockout stage over Chinese Taipei (AKA Taiwan) in 1991.

For the match, USA finished a 13-0 win over Thailand, just in case the tie-breaking goal differential ends up mattering in group play (Sweden, who knocked USA out of the 2016 Olympic Games, are also in this group).

If you are critical, Alex Morgan probably should have scored even more goals (Morgan did have a goal called back due to offside) given the good looks that she got in this match. Nonetheless, if Alex Morgan is going to make a run at Abby Wambach’s career goal record (right now, Morgan is on pace to pass Mia Hamm eventually for the No.2 spot), she needs some nights like tonight.

Morgan now has 8 goals in her career at the World Cup after coming into the night with just 3 such goals (Alex Morgan had been limited by injuries in the last World Cup).

Here are Morgan’s 5 goals (probably only viewable within the US):

1 - via a header

2 - via left foot tap in

3 - long strike from the right foot

4 - another goal off the left foot

5 - after great ball control, Morgan ties the record off her left foot again

Thailand is completely overmatched in this match, and you have to feel a bit bad for them for this result (USA really did not stop attacking for the duration of the match). Alex Morgan made sure to seek out Miranda Nild at the end of the match for a moment between the two Cal Bears.

Both USA and Thailand will be back in action on Sunday June 16th. USA will play Chile at 9 AM PT. Thailand will play Sweden at 6 AM PT.

Finally, ICYMI, check out some old highlights of Alex Morgan from her time in Berkeley below:

GO ALEX AND USA!

GO MIRANDA AND THAILAND!

GO BEARS!