For millions of English people, drinking tea is a cherished part of daily life, a ritual to be enjoyed at breakfast time, break time, anytime, and, as you’d expect, tea-time.
Typically, the consumption of a cup of tea passes without much thought. And yet, for some reason, every time Alex Morgan tries to take a sip, it seems to create an international incident.
Four years ago, when celebrating the headed goal against England that ultimately sent the United States into the Women’s World Cup final, Morgan stood, smiled with her teammates, raised her little finger and lifted an imaginary cup to her lips.
England’s Kelly Smith on Alex Morgan tea celebration: ‘It was fun … maybe she can have tea with the Queen’
“Sipping the tea” instantaneously became one of the most memorable celebrations in men’s or women’s tournament history but my, what a fuss it ensued. British politicians and former players entered the mix, with the criticism blown out of any reasonable proportion.
And now, with the 2023 event just over a month away, here we go again. The World Cup, England, Morgan, tea and a little bit of a ruckus.
Last week, FOX Sports released a promotional hype video, featuring a spoof collection of ways in which the rest of the world might try to stop the Americans, who have won the past two tournaments in convincing fashion.
USA vs. The World: What will it take to stop the USWNT at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup?
It was lighthearted and firmly tongue in cheek – an Australian flight attendant considered conspiring to get the U.S.’ flight canceled and German scientists worked on AI-simulated technology – and, perhaps given that England’s status as second-favorites meant they featured heavily in the ad, Morgan tweeted the video.
She did so, gasp, by adding an emoji of a teapot.
Thankfully, to this point at least, the hilariously overblown outcry hasn’t matched the levels of 2019. It seemed to take mere moments, however, for the Daily Mirror, one of Britain’s largest national newspapers, to whip up a juicy headline.
“Alex Morgan and the USWNT mock England and World Cup rivals in pre-tournament warning,” read the post, while describing the commercial and Morgan’s tweet as a display of “brazen confidence.”
Mocking? Judge for yourself.
Brazen confidence? Actually, they might have a point. I mean, when you play on a team where the culture of incessant success runs back several generations, how are you supposed to feel?
If we’re being honest, a resurfacing of the tea furor, however far it goes, isn’t going to bother Morgan or the Americans in the slightest. If anything, it is a sign of how fired up the English press and public is for the tournament, in which its women’s team have a genuine chance of giving the country that invented soccer a World Cup title for the first time since its men won in 1966.
What’s getting lost in the discussion is an accurate understanding of who this U.S. team is and what they stand for. This is not a group that’s just pleased to be here and plays for nothing more than the love of the game.
The reason the USWNT has won everything in sight – four Olympic titles and four World Cups – is because, year after year, the squad’s mindset is one of ruthlessness and determination, utterly unaccepting of any result other than victory. To survive as a member of that group for more than a decade, as Morgan has, well, you can imagine the level of dedication and hard-headedness that requires.
And yes, as we have seen from great teams a little swagger makes its way into the mix every now and then. As it should, as long as it’s not overtly disrespectful, and if you think that simulating drinking tea is a deeply hurtful slur to the English population then I’ve got nothing for you.
As I pointed out in a column at the time, by the time-honored standard of goal celebrations in the men’s game, it ranked way down the list in terms of offensiveness. Most people took it how it was intended, a harmless bit of banter.
But not everyone.
Baroness Campbell, the English Football Association’s head of women’s football and a life member of the British Parliament, felt “really disappointed that someone at this level behaves in that way.”
Oh well. Sorry. Not sorry.
Beyond the nonsense, the reality is that England has arguably emerged as the biggest threat to the American team, with a mightily impressive surge of improvement dating back several years.
Women’s soccer has grown exponentially in popularity in the United Kingdom, with many leading English Premier League clubs pumping additional resources into their women’s squads.
That semifinal four years ago was the toughest test the Americans would end up facing and if not for a crucial penalty save by USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, the result could have been different. A mark of England’s strength is that they are still considered one of the teams to beat, despite a spate of injuries to key players such as Fran Kirby, Beth Mead and Leah Williamson since winning the European Championships last summer.
It is a rivalry without question and you sense this is a plot line that could evolve over the course of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, even though the Americans and England can only meet if both reach the final.
That outcome in itself would be a cause for some celebration among those who want to see the best face the best. And, if the excitement gets too much? The English – and Alex Morgan – know all about the restorative effects of a calming cup of tea.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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