Game On: Soccer Superstar Alex Morgan Talks Nutrition, Sleep & Playing Sports With Her Daughter

I spoke to soccer superstar Alex Morgan the day after she won the 2024 SheBelieves Cup. It was the first thing I brought up—offering my congratulations. "I've been able to lift three trophies in a month, which is," Morgan said to me, pausing before finishing her thought: "Rare." 

Rare. That's exactly what Morgan is. 

For proof, just look at her track record: The three trophies she's referring to are the SheBelieves Cup, the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup, and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup—which as she said, she's won in just this past month alone.

But of course her career spans years and comes with many other awe-inspiring wins. She's won a gold at the 2012 London Olympics, bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, two FIFA Women's World Cups, three CONCACAF W Championship, and the previously mentioned CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

Because of this, Morgan has become a household name. If you were to ask me to name any soccer player in the world, the first person I would think of is Morgan. (And I'm not even one of those Americans who doesn't watch soccer/football! My boyfriend's from the UK, so I actually watch quite a bit of it! Go, Arsenal!) But Morgan has captured the attention of her American and global audience in such a powerful way—people of all ages and genders look up to her. She is, as I noted, rare. 

So I was eager to hear all about how she optimizes her performance through food, recovery, sleep, supplements, and more. But I also wanted to know what advice she has for young girls and women with aspirations such as hers. Because somewhere out there—maybe even someone reading this, or the daughter of someone reading this—is the next rare talent in soccer, track, volleyball, or whatever sport they play.

Alex Morgan: I feel like there are times when my body wants to rest a bit—or maybe on the other end of the spectrum I want to eat a super-healthy, high-protein, high-carb, low-fat meal—and my daughter has other plans. That's OK! Maybe it's that she wants to go on a walk, go to the park, go on a bike ride, or maybe get some ice cream. 

Everything is a balance in my life. I want to make sure that her needs are met and that I'm able to enjoy life with her—as well as taking care of my body. So it's a balance. 

It's not only since I've had my daughter—but just as I've gotten to this stage of my career in which I've played for such a long time, I know what works with my body. 

I know I have to prioritize sleep. That is so crucial. I know I have to wake up and have a full glass of water. I know that I need to slow myself down mentally every now and then by doing things like breathwork or meditation. 

Or for example, I know I need to be taking my vitamins. I actually love doing that with my daughter as well because she is the best reminder for me to take my vitamins. It's a fun experience for her. She likes to open all the vitamin pill boxes and pass me the vitamins in the morning, and then in the evening she likes to remind me when she gets home from school. It's cute. 

Morgan: I do follow a vegetarian diet. So it's important that I work with my nutritionist to come up with the best recipes and meals to make sure I'm getting the best nutrients for my body to recover. [I need to eat in a way so my body is] optimal and ready for my games and training.

So I eat a lot of grain bowls with rice and chickpeas, black beans, or lentils. In the morning I usually have a yogurt or a protein smoothie. 

In general, I find I need to eat a lot more to hit my protein goal. But hitting that is really important to me. 

Morgan: I like to track my sleep. So with that, I've found there's an optimal window that I should be going to sleep and waking up. It's good for you to have your routine—trying to go to sleep and waking up at the same time. So for me, I've found it's really important that I'm not going to bed too late, and I need to make sure I'm getting the same amount of sleep each night. For me that's about eight and a half to nine hours of sleep. 

Having a good wind-down strategy is important. I like to read a book before bed rather than watching a show. Or when I'm traveling, I like to light a candle on my nightstand to make me feel more at home and at ease. 

Morgan: Self-belief and confidence are the most important things. So for me as a mom, I'm trying to instill that in my daughter. I try to never suppress the opinions she has. I always want to give her the space to have her own thoughts and be confident in who she is. For example, if she wants to order her own food or if she wants to call somebody, I let her. I'm never going to shy away from telling her what she can do, within reason. 

I'm also a big advocate of kids playing different sports. Playing a variety of sports can just really help with understanding teamwork and leadership—as well as things like hand-eye or hand-foot coordination skills. It's also how they can find out what works for them the best. So with my daughter, she's in gymnastics, dance, and soccer. 

I don't want to push her into anything, but I definitely push her to stay active. And naturally, she loves to run anywhere and everywhere. She likes to race up the stairs and play with our dogs a lot. 

I think a lot of times with kids, they want to do things with their parents. They want their parents to be on the sidelines. They want to be in the backyard and kick the ball around or play catch or whatever. So for me, as much as I can, I stay present in all of her activities in sports—I'm watching her at gymnastics and dance. That fulfills her a lot too. 

Morgan: I think for me at this point in my career, if I don't still love it, there's no point in continuing. And that's like the best signal to myself: If there's something taking me away from time with my daughter, then well, I want to make sure that I absolutely love doing it every single day.

Morgan: As a captain of the San Diego Wave FC and a leader of the national team, it's just about being there, being willing to listen, share experiences with them, and being able to find common ground. I have a teammate who is maybe half my age, but being able to communicate to her that we are peers—and especially when we step on that field, we are equals.