ORLANDO, Fla. _ Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan will play for the Tottenham Hotspurs in the FA Women's Super League for the remainder of the year, according to The Athletic.
She was scheduled to join the Pride for training Monday ahead of the NWSL Fall Series, but the workout session and a news conference featuring Morgan were canceled after the team opted not to train during the Labor Day holiday.
Morgan is the 13th player for the Pride to head abroad for the remainder of the year. With Orlando slated to play only four matches this year, the team shifted its priority to loaning out players to allow them quality minutes against high-level competition.
Orlando Pride coach Marc Skinner actively sought out these loans, looking to place players in situations where they could grow in a way that would benefit the Pride upon their return.
He previously worked alongside current Tottenham coach Heather Cowen when both were at Birmingham City and already placed two players with the club for the remainder of 2020. With a move to the Spurs, Morgan is joining longtime Pride teammates Shelina Zadorsky and Alanna Kennedy.
As an allocated player with the U.S. national team, Morgan can't be loaned out in the same way as other contracted Pride players. Instead, she is expected to sign a short-term contract that would expire at the end of 2020, according to The Athletic. The Pride would retain her rights in the NWSL.
The move comes less than five months after Morgan's daughter, Charlie, was born in May.
Morgan's last appearance in a competitive match came on Aug. 21, 2019, when she started for the Pride against the Chicago Red Stars.
She only played six minutes of that match, however, exiting after a mid-air collision under concussion protocol. Morgan was then ruled out for the season with a knee injury Sept. 16. She returned to California to begin her recovery process and then announced her pregnancy at the end of October.
Morgan trained individually up until the final weeks of her pregnancy, with initial plans to join the U.S. women's national team in July for the Tokyo Olympics. The Games were ultimately postponed due to the pandemic. However, Morgan continued her individual training throughout the past two months in Orlando, California and Miami, where her husband, Servando Carrasco, currently plays.
Skinner was optimistic Morgan could feature for the team in upcoming Fall Series matches, before the loan plans were set up.
