Alex Morgan has won a World Cup and nabbed a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics (Team USA’s goal of defending its title and going for a fourth straight Olympic gold was dashed after Friday’s stunning loss to Sweden) — but can she teach soccer skills to three nonathletes?
Us Weekly video correspondent Christina Garibaldi, senior writer Sarah Grossbart and video executive producer Kim Rittberg joined the pro, 27, for a balls-to-the-wall session at the Urban Wellness Clinic in New York City.
After a brief pep talk, Morgan — named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 — taught Us how to trap the ball and how to perform a header.
“If you head the ball at the right spot, then it doesn’t hurt at all,” swore the Orlando Pride forward. “Well, maybe I’m just immune to it.”
Were the editors able to, well, use their heads? Watch the video above to see how they fared.
After teaching Us Weekly staffers how to score, Morgan opened up about the Always #LikeAGirl campaign. The goal, explains the spokeswoman, “is to empower girls to keep playing sports and to feel confident while doing so.”
By age 17, more than half of girls will have quit sports, says the gold medalist — and she was almost one of them. “When I was about 13, 14 years old, I was discouraged by a coach telling me I wasn’t good enough,” she recalls. “You know what? I picked myself back up and I was like, ‘I’m going to prove this guy wrong.’”
Morgan has certainly done so, with an Olympic gold medal. Watch her show off in the video above.
