DÉCINES-CHARPIEU, France — Alex Morgan pulled up the right sleeve of her jersey to reveal a discoloration on her arm. It was physical evidence of the moment in the 59th minute that changed a scoreless and increasingly nervy Women's World Cup final, when Dutch defender Stefanie van der Gragt hit Morgan with a high boot in the box that caused the American center forward to hit the ground yet again in this tournament.
“I have a nice bruise right there,” Morgan said, showing off what you might call her own World Cup “trophy” after the U.S. beat the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday to win the Americans’ second straight World Cup and fourth in their remarkable history.