EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Soccer's Alex Morgan 'Visualizes' The Game, Leads U.S. Team To Openers Victory

by UInterviewJuly 26, 2012, 12:00 am >

Alex Morgan, 23, has lately rivaled soccer great Hope Solo, 30, as the favorite female soccer player in the U.S. Olympic team playing in this year's London Summer Olympics, but it looks like Morgan has just shot to the top of the list, as she saved the U.S. women's soccer team in an Olympic opening game against France on Wednesday, pulling a 4-2 victory for the U.S. out of what started out as a 2-0 lag.

It was a pivotal game for both the U.S. team and France, as it marked the first competition of U.S. Olympic contestants in the openers. It was also a bleak game for the U.S. in the first half, as France managed to score two goals past goalkeeper Solo in the 12th and 14th minutes of the game, reports USA Today.

While rain, wind, and glaring sun were all concerns, remarked Solo, Morgan kept her eye on the prize and scored two goals in the match — one that brought the U.S. team, who are two-time defending gold medalists, to a 2-2 tie late in the first half, and one that sailed past the opposing team's goalkeeper to score the winning goal.

Now Alex Morgan is the name on everyone's lips, but Morgan, like any good member of a winning team, knows that the credit is not all hers to claim. "Although we had a rocky start today, we came back," she said about Wednesday's match. "We never gave up. We stuck to our tactics and executed pretty well."

By her performance on the soccer field, you'd never know that Morgan, who appeared in the 2012 Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue wearing only body paint, was competing in her first Olympics. And the rapidly rising sports star knows what she has to do to prep mentally for the challenge of rising to the top.

"Mentally, I like to do a lot of visualization before games, really imagine myself in the game," Morgan said when she recently sat down and talked exclusively with Uinterview, in association with WebMD. Whatever her trick, it seems like it's working.

For more on Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and the 2012 London Olympics:

Alex Morgan, Women's Soccer Star, Looks Forward To London

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Volleyball Player Linsey Berg Is 'Honored' To Be Named Captain

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Diver David Boudia On London And Thomas Finchum

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Gymnast Jordyn Wieber On Training For London Games

PROFILE: The Audacity Of Hope Solo

U.S. Olympic Goalkeeper Hope Solo Fails Drug Test, Issued Warning

Alex Morgan, Women's Soccer Star, Looks Forward To London

Who Got Kicked Off 'Dancing With The Stars'?

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Swimmer Brendan Hansen Lost His Olympic Gold Medal

The Phelps Family Reflects On Michael Phelps' Olympic Career

Daniel Craig To Open Olympics At Buckingham Palace