Alex Morgan Reaches 100 Caps With the US Women's National Team

Alex Morgan is one of the most recognizable faces in all of women's soccer.  At 26, she's seemingly been around forever, so it's not all that surprising to hear that she's now officially reached the mark of 100 international caps (appearances for the team). But it's an incredible achievement for any international player, male or female.

Morgan's personal milestone came in the United States' recent friendly match against Ireland--a game they won 5-0, and a game that included a nice little tap in goal for Morgan, her 57th for the country.

Morgan becomes the 34th player in United States history to reach the mark of 100 appearances. The former California Bear made her debut for the team back in 2010 in a game against China.

The friendly game against Ireland served as the last such game in the buildup for the Olympic qualifying tournament--which the women will now turn their attention to. No more romping around the United States celebrating what they have achieved, now it's about what they can achieve going forward. The qualifiers are set to begin on Feb. 10 in Frisco, Texas, with the decisive semifinals in Houston on Feb. 19.

The roster for the qualifying tournament is comprised of 20 players, 17 field players and 3 goalies. Morgan is one of 13 from 23 players that were held over from the World Cup winning side.

That's not to say 10 players were no longer up to snuff. There were some unforseen circumstances--like pregnancies of forwards Sydney Leroux and Amy Rodriguez--as well as a couple of key retirements with Abby Wambach, Shannon Box, Lauren Holiday, and Lori Chalupny all hanging the boots up. Also, veterans Megan Rapinoe and Christie Rampone weren't available for selection due to injuries.

That said, it is a time of transition for the States. A new wave of younger players is coming through the ranks, and now is the time to implement them into the squad. Seeing as how there will be a handful of new faces, as well as a couple of key exclusions, that means Morgan will have to step into that much more of a leadership role -- something that she seems more than capable of doing.

Here's to quite possibly 100 more appearances for her country: