Alex Morgan replaces injured Mia Fishel on USWNT’s CONCACAF W Gold Cup roster

Alex Morgan’s original exclusion from the U.S. women’s national team’s CONCACAF W Gold Cup roster caused quite the stir, but the veteran forward will now be part of the action due to an injury elsewhere in the squad.

Morgan will replace Mia Fishel in Twila Kilgore’s squad, U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday. Fishel torn her ACL in training on Monday, forcing the interim head coach to make a roster change.

Fishel’s injury will also force her out of Olympic contention this summer as the Americans head to Paris, France.

“I’m gutted for Mia, and I know the team and the entire staff is as well,” said Kilgore. “She’s been very effective in camp and has worked hard to make an impact. Since she’s been getting call-ups to the National Team, she’s shown a tremendous growth mindset, a desire to absorb information and has been a total team player.

“I know she’ll come back strong and hopefully be in the mix for the next World Cup,” Kilgore added. “As we start this tournament, we’re fortunate to be able to add a player like Alex to the roster. Her accomplishments speak for themselves, she’s been training extremely hard with the Wave in preseason, and I know she’ll be more than ready to contribute in this tournament.”

Morgan will be the USWNT’s leading scoring option heading into the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. The veteran forward has accrued 215 caps (10th all-time in USWNT history) and 121 goals to date (fifth all-time) with the USWNT.

The USWNT opens its group stage schedule tonight against the Dominican Republic.