The 24-year-old reflects on a year in the States, why she played just seven days after the Euros final and how success has changed her outlook
For most England fans, Euro 2025 was a stressful watch. The Lionesses stared elimination in the face at various points in Switzerland, navigating three lots of extra time and two penalty shootouts before eventually defending their European title. Esme Morgan, though, was always calm. That’s because she had a feeling it was going to be England’s year – a feeling that has yet to let her down.
“Sometimes I get these gut feelings,” Morgan explains, speaking to GOAL while the triumph is still less than three weeks' old. “Whenever I feel that we're going to win, it's never before been wrong.” It came to her before the quarter-final victory over Sweden, in which Morgan was a vital sub as England turned around a 2-0 deficit, and again prior to the semi-final meeting with Italy, where she played a key role as a starter. Then, after learning that it would be Spain in the final, it returned. "I woke up that next morning and I just knew we were going to win," she recalls. "So for the next three days, I was just telling all the girls, 'We're going to do it. I can feel it'. It's not something you can really explain. It's not something tangible; it's just a sense. So I never really reached the point of panic in any of those games. I just maintained the belief and stayed calm all through it.”
Whether due to Morgan’s prophetic predictions – which star winger Lauren Hemp became particularly “dependent” on – or not, the entire England team was clearly possessed by the same tranquillity, something which undoubtedly played a big role in the remarkable escapology Sarina Wiegman’s side were able to perform on their way to a second successive continental crown.
For most individuals in the Lionesses’ squad, it was a perfect way for their 2024-25 season to end. For the likes of Hannah Hampton and Lucy Bronze, it came after a treble-winning campaign with Chelsea, while it was a second European title of the summer for Arsenal stars such as Alessia Russo and Leah Williamson, who helped the Gunners beat Barcelona in the Champions League final just two months prior.
Morgan, though, plies her trade in the United States, where her season with the Washington Spirit began in March and will end in November – and, as her return to action at club level just seven days after the European Championship final shows, success with England has only made the 24-year-old more determined to end the year on a high, by winning the NWSL Championship.
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Warm welcome in Washington
It's impossible not to sense that hunger and motivation in Morgan as she speaks about her return to Washington. When chatting with the Spirit’s performance staff during the Euros about her physical status and when she would like to return to club action after the tournament, she only had one thing on her mind – and it wasn’t a holiday.
“I said I wanted to come back as soon as possible and be back with the team, get straight into the league games, because we've got a Championship to win,” she says bullishly. “I want to be able to help with that as much as possible.”
How well Morgan has settled into her new home is a huge factor in that attitude. Nothing demonstrates the bond between her and her team-mates better than the welcome she received after becoming a European champion, which started with a surprise pick-up at the airport from team-mate Sandy MacIver.
Upon arriving at training the next day, the familiar sound of ‘Three Lions’ – the song from which England’s ‘it’s coming home’ chant derives – was blaring out of the changing room, where the whole squad was waiting to greet Morgan. They'd already decorated her locker with balloons and prepared a hamper as a celebratory gift.
“I love my Spirit girls so much. I feel like I've got 30 sisters,” Morgan says. “I would have felt like I was letting them down a little bit if I didn't come straight back and get back involved with the team.”
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New environment
It’s a year since Morgan swapped England for the U.S, having turned out for childhood club Manchester City for the entirety of her senior career to that point, and that rapport she has with her Spirit team-mates is great evidence of how well it is all going. Someone who describes herself as quite independent and adventurous by nature, perhaps it is no surprise that she didn’t quiz any fellow pros on their experiences across the pond before signing a deal with the Spirit, nor a shock that she is relishing life off the pitch.
“There are so many monuments in the city and obviously iconic spots like the Capitol, the White House and the National Monument. I love getting a little Lime scooter and going around there,” she says. “There are so many museums as well and they're so interesting. I'm a little bit of a geek, really, so I like learning about stuff. I've really enjoyed going to all of them and learning about American history, history of the Native Americans, it's just fascinating. There's a lot of that and then there's some really lovely nature spots as well. I went hiking in the off-season in Shenandoah, which is the National Park they talk about in the song, 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', so that was cool going there. It was just really beautiful. It's got a bit of everything and it's been a lot of fun to explore. It really feels like home.”
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New challenges
All of the boxes are being ticked on the pitch, too. “I've got exactly what I wanted from coming here in terms of being challenged against different types of forward, playing consistently, being able to review the challenges that I've faced in games and then look back on it, figure out what I need to do differently, and put that into training in a really focused manner the following week,” Morgan explains.
“I love playing for the Spirit. I love the style that we try to play: super aggressive out of possession and trying to build-up and play attractive football in possession. It's a lot of fun. I love playing at Audi Field. We have, I'm going to say, the best atmosphere in the league. Our fans are just incredible and they really drive us and it's such a thrill to play there. From a football perspective, I really couldn't have asked for anything more from this.”
By presenting her with different challenges to what the Women’s Super League in England could, it is a switch that is helping to round out Morgan’s game, too, with it perhaps no surprise that her standing with England has improved to a notable extent since she joined the Spirit last summer.
“In the WSL, I think I'm quite a pacey player so I could kind of get away with things,” the 24-year-old says. “Whereas when you're playing against the likes of [Barbra] Banda and [Temwa] Chawinga, you have to be so positionally aware and really anticipate where the passes are coming from. If someone's not got pressure on the ball, then you've got to be ready to drop to defend the long ball, whereas I think in the WSL, you can get away with that a little more because across the board, the forwards aren't as quick.
“And just in terms of knowing how to be physical and use my body well, because I'm not as strong as those players, I've had to learn how to use my body to the best of my ability to still be able to compete physically in those duels. I've learned a lot in terms of the technique of defending, the timing, anticipation – and those were parts of my game that I knew I needed to improve coming here.”
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Adapting and adjusting
There have, of course, been a few things for Morgan to adapt to. Flying across the country to games is new to her, having come from a nation much smaller in size, as is the need to make the long trip back across the pond for international duty. Fortunately, she’s discovered her recovery strategy when it comes to adjusting after changing timezones. “I found that going for a little swim after I land just has me feeling like a new woman the next day,” she says.
Then there is the fact that the NWSL Championship – decided by the post-season play-offs – is the bigger prize in the U.S, as opposed to the NWSL Shield, which is awarded to the team that finishes at the top of the table in the regular season. “It's funny because you win the Shield, you compete for 26 games, top the league, and then a week later, once the play-offs start, no one cares anymore. It's like, what was all that for?” she laughs, reciting a jokey thought she has shared with England team-mate Anna Moorhouse, who won the Shield and, later, the Championship with the Orlando Pride last year. “I've got used to it now,” she adds. “Last year, we finished second in the Shield so then you kind of feel like you get a second bite of the cherry.”
More new experiences are on the horizon, too, with Morgan taking them all in her stride at this point. Later this month, the Spirit will fly to El Salvador to take on Alianza in their first group stage game of this year’s CONCACAF W Champions Cup. “I’m going to get it scratched off my map!” she enthuses, with her intrigue around the competition particularly high after a conversation with England team-mate Jess Carter, who played in it this past year with Gotham. “She really enjoyed it, getting to travel to new places, see different footballing cultures, different styles,” Morgan adds. “She said it was really fun and exciting so, especially having spoken to her, I'm looking forward to it.”