USWNT footnotes: Alex Morgan buys San Diego stake, World Cup expands

Editor's Note: USWNT Footnotes takes you inside the major talking points around the U.S. women's national team, the NWSL, European leagues, and all across American women's soccer.

Alex Morgan may have retired from playing soccer last year, but she hasn’t stepped away from the game by any means. This week, the two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist became the newest minority investor in her former club, San Diego Wave FC.

"San Diego is where I’ve built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said in a statement. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women’s sports. I’m proud to invest in that future and not just as a player, but now as an investor."

Morgan, 35, is from Southern California and lives in the San Diego area with her family. She recently gave birth to her second child. She won the NWSL’s Golden Boot in the club’s inaugural season with 16 goals and led the Wave to become the first expansion team in league history to qualify for the 2022 playoffs. In 2023, Morgan helped the Wave win the NWSL Shield.

Morgan has always been advocate for women's sports and growing the game. She said in an interview released by the team that discussions about investing in the Wave began last year. 

The USWNT legend is also an entrepreneur and has made purposeful investments in other sects of women's sports. She's part of a strong group of investors in Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s professional basketball league that started earlier this year. And before Morgan retired, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation and co-founded TOGETHXR, a media company dedicated to the next generation of women’s sports.

Savy King ‘stable’ after collapsing on the field

There was a scary moment in the NWSL over the weekend when Angel City defender Savy King was carted off the field and taken to a hospital after going down and requiring medical attention during a game vs. the Utah Royals.

On Saturday, the NWSL said in a statement that King, 20, was in stable condition.

"Savy left the field in stable condition, and currently remains stable and will be undergoing further evaluation," the league said. "League protocols were followed from both a medical and game operations perspective. We are grateful to the Angel City medical staff as well as to local paramedics who handled this difficult situation seamlessly. As always, the NWSL will review and determine if changes to that protocol need to be made.

"We share everyone’s concern about Savy, and our thoughts are with her, her family, the Utah Royals players and staff, and the Angel City players, staff and community. Please respect her privacy."

After the match concluded – Angel City won 2-0 – both teams gathered on the field and Utah defender Alex Leora (who previously played with King at Bay FC) led the group in what appeared to be a prayer.

Royals coach Jimmy Coenraets told reporters later that perhaps the match should not have resumed after King collapsed.

"In those moments, I’m not sure if we should have continued the game," Coenraets said. "Our players were just scared. That’s not the right situation to be in but in the end, we played on. That’s the decision other people have taken, which is fine. It was a really tough moment."

King played one year for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being drafted second overall by Bay FC in 2024. She joined Angel City ahead of the 2025 season and has played for U.S. youth national teams including last year when she helped the U-20 team win bronze at the 2024 Women’s World Cup. She participated in the USWNT ‘Futures Camp’ in January.

Women’s World Cup expansion

The Women’s World Cup will expand from 32 to 48 teams for the 2031 tournament after a proposal was unanimously approved during a FIFA Council meeting last Friday. The 2031 World Cup will be hosted by the United States.

The 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, will also feature 48 teams. The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil will still have 32 countries competing.

"This is not just about having 16 more teams playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but taking the next steps in relation to the women’s game in general by ensuring that more FIFA Member Associations have the chance to benefit from the tournament to develop their women’s football structures from a holistic point of view," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

"The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the first in which teams from all confederations won at least one game and teams from five confederations reached the knockout stage, among many other records, set a new standard for global competitiveness. This decision ensures we are maintaining the momentum in terms of growing women’s football globally."

FIFPRO supported the expansion, and U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson told reporters previously that the federation would be in favor of it as well.

Chelsea wins another WSL title

Chelsea clinched its eighth WSL title – and sixth in a row – over the weekend following a 1-0 win over Liverpool. In doing so, the Blues also became the first club in league history to go unbeaten, winning 22 straight games this season.

While winning titles is nothing new for Chelsea, it was the club’s first with coach Sonia Bompastor. The former Lyon coach took over the Blues after Emma Hayes left to become the USWNT manager.

"As a manager, players and staff, you only live these moments maybe once in your life," Bompastor said after the match. "It is difficult to believe, but you need to enjoy it because it is a great achievement."

Hayes congratulated her former team on social media, while current Chelsea and USWNT players Naomi Girma, Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel celebrated their victory on the pitch.

Chelsea was eliminated from Champions League competition after losing to Barcelona 8-2 on aggregate, but still has a chance to win more trophies this year when it faces Manchester United in the FA Cup final on May 18.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.