Alex Morgan and the U.S. women's national team have been synonymous with each other for the past 14 years. But Wednesday brought news of an abrupt, surprising end to the forward's run of major tournaments with a team whose standards she helped maintain and whose status she largely elevated.
Morgan was left off USWNT head coach Emma Hayes' 18- player Olympic roster and is not one of the four alternates who will travel to France. Instead, she will watch from afar for the first time since she earned her inaugural cap in March 2010 as the USWNT plays in a major tournament.