How to defend against Alex Morgan, according to opponents - ESPN

Dinnia Díaz was playing a game within the game, a mind trick familiar to anyone who has worked a shift at a job that isn't all that fun. When it was slow, she'd steal a glance at the clock, then try, try, try to let more time pass before she looked again.

A longtime goalkeeper for the Costa Rica national team, Díaz rarely feared opposing attackers or tried to count the minutes until the final whistle blew. It was different when she was facing Alex Morgan.

«Sometimes you're thinking, 'How much time is left? Can Alex still score on me?'» Díaz said.

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Once, in a 2016 friendly match, Díaz did manage to keep Morgan scoreless, though she did concede a goal assisted by Morgan. Another time, in Olympic qualification in 2016, Morgan scored nearly from kickoff and found a second goal in the 62nd minute.

«It was really meaningful because you want that such an extraordinary player with such a great career doesn't score on you. As a goalkeeper, that means a lot,» Díaz said.

Playing international soccer is a joy, and the Women's World Cup (which kicked off Thursday) promises to be a monthlong expression of that positivity. But doing it against Alex Morgan can turn any day into a very rough day at the office.

Morgan and U.S. fans hope a new group of players have their days ruined at the Women's World Cup, which the Americans open Friday night (U.S. time) against Vietnam in Auckland, New Zealand. But a number of players in Concacaf and beyond are well-acquainted with that wait, the quick glances at the clock and the sense of dread that sooner or later, she's going to find a way to score.

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