From the Archives: Vogue's Hamish Bowles Trains With Soccer Star Alex Morgan

The article from Vogue’s archives revisits Hamish Bowles’ “Kick Off,” originally published in April 2016, describing his conversation with U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan. Morgan recounts growing up as a “tomboy” and a competitive child, while Bowles recalls being uninterested in soccer and instead pursuing a different childhood trajectory. He describes accompanying his father to youth matches at age ten, including attending a Hendon Amateur Cup semifinal and later being promised a trip to Portobello Road after a Liverpool vs. Chelsea game. The piece also places Morgan’s early inspiration in context, noting that the U.S. Women’s National Team won the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup 5-4 against China, featuring Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Michelle Akers. At 16, Morgan was a standout on her Diamond Bar, California, high school team, aspiring to a professional career. The excerpt ends with Bowles explaining she is being pushed away from soccer.