Alex Morgan stepped in as Mia Fischel's replacement for the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup. Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF

The United States women's national team are preparing for a "physical" matchup when it faces Canada in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday, forward Alex Morgan has told ESPN.

The USWNT bounced back from a shock defeat to Mexico and earned a 3-0 victory in a fiery contest with Colombia in the quarterfinals on Sunday, setting up the semifinal clash against Canada.

"You guys saw that, right? It was very chippy. We expected it," Morgan told ESPN's Fútbol Americas on Monday.

"I would say that Colombia is a very aggressive, very physical team. They're always trying to slow the play down, foul, and we were ready to play. We stepped up to the challenge. Obviously after that defeat to Mexico, we were just ready for the battle, so I think you guys saw a pretty good professional win from this team."

She added: "It's going to be a physical match [against Canada]...They had a tough test against Costa Rica, having played them in the group stage and pretty much dominating, and then Costa Rica coming to play and them having a tougher time trying to finish some chances. So for us, it's just getting our bodies ready for this next game."

Morgan was a last-minute call-up to the USWNT squad for the tournament after Mia Fishel suffered a torn ACL in training last month.

She scored in each of the side's opening two group games, bringing her to 123 international goals in 219 games, placing her fifth on the U.S. women's all-time scorers list.

"I had just gotten to Coachella tournament for our preseason tournament with San Diego. I literally had been there for an hour, so I had a carry-on suitcase assuming I was going to be gone for three days," Morgan said.

"I got the call and said, 'Okay, now time to go to LA.' I was there within two-and-a-half hours and then played the next night. So it was a little bit of a whirlwind, but at the same time, I understood that it was a long lead up to the Gold Cup. A lot of training sessions, anything could happen.

"I wanted to stay ready in case of injury or anything, and that's what I did. I worked hard, dug in with San Diego, did extra with Casey [Stoney], our coach at San Diego, and wanted to just use this preseason as an opportunity for myself to grow as a player and as a teammate, and was fortunate enough to get the call."

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by ESPN NEWS

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