Esme Morgan on swapping WSL for NWSL: 'I've not had to say the s-word so far' (2024)

Esme Morgan has just been to Trader Joe’s looking for oil, salt and pepper.

“I had to do my grocery shop,” the Sheffield-born defender tells The Athletic, air quoting as she says the final two words. “I’m being quite stubborn and trying to keep most of my words. I’ve not had to say the ‘s-word’ so far.”

It’s still football, not soccer. An s-word that has caused confusion, though, is squash. Morgan pulled up pictures of Robinsons blackcurrant squash, a well-known concentrated fruit drink in the UK, but her new Washington Spirit team-mates stared back blankly, explaining there was no equivalent. A quick online order solved that issue.

Morgan’s thirst has been accentuated by the humidity in Washington D.C., a stark contrast to the Mancunian drizzle she had left behind. The muggy weather made her mile time trial — a test as part of her integration into training — that bit harder, but she is enjoying stepping out in just a T-shirt and shorts.

These are just some differences the 23-year-old is adapting to since leaving Manchester City, where she spent nine years before signing for National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side Washington Spirit on a three-year deal this summer, turning July into a whirlwind for Morgan.

Having qualified for the 2025 European Championship with the England national team, she flew — with three teddies in her hand luggage in case her baggage got lost — from Sweden to Brussels, then to Washington. In Washington, she met with Katia Rabinowitch, who is responsible for player logistics, and transferred the soft toys into her main luggage before continuing her journey. “She probably thought they’d signed a lunatic,” laughs Morgan.

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“I hadn’t really had a moment to sit, breathe and get my head straight,” says the defender. She now has her social security number, bank account and car sorted and has finally unpacked her stuff into her apartment, which she hopes to adorn with her new cross-stitch project: a picture of the British Isles, a reminder of home.

Some may have found the leap from Manchester to Washington a daunting prospect, even more so for Morgan given she was leaving her family, friends and the club she has supported all her life. But the England international sees it as an adventure.

“I tend not to worry about the ‘what ifs’,” she says. “If I see an opportunity, I go for it. The best thing for my career was to move on and have a different challenge, somewhere where I can hopefully play my best position consistently and reach the level I believe I can (get to).

“All of my coaches have always said I can be one of the best centre-backs in the world. There’s got to come a time where I’m playing there week in, week out.”

Last season under manager Gareth Taylor, Morgan played the second-fewest number of minutes (537) in her career, behind only the 2021-22 campaign when she broke her leg.

“When I had my year on loan at Everton I played so consistently, I developed so fast,” she says. “I’m hoping playing consistently in one place will give me that same fast development. I reached a point where I thought, ‘I don’t want to be sat here in a year thinking I’ve wasted a year of development’.”

Morgan approached City’s director of women’s football at the time, Nils Nielsen, who was receptive to the player’s game-time concerns in the first half of the season. Taylor and Nielsen wanted to keep her but as the season went on and Morgan was still not getting a look in, they accommodated her wishes to leave.

Morgan sought advice from different people at club and international levels. England team-mates Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway had all left City for moves abroad. The message was clear: you develop fastest when you’re playing. Early in the process, the 23-year-old informed England manager Sarina Wiegman of the ongoing conversations with City and discussed options.

“She wasn’t happy with my lack of minutes at City; I wasn’t either,” Morgan says, conscious of the Euros taking place next year. “She wants to pick people who are playing consistently at their club. I’m so appreciative of how Sarina kept bringing me into the squad, even when I wasn’t playing so much.

“Without blowing my own trumpet, I was playing at a good enough level to justify it when I came into camps. But to be considered for the starting XI or coming off the bench, you have to be playing consistently. She appreciated I wasn’t just settling. I needed to move on.”

Morgan describes last year as “difficult” from a football perspective but the summer transfer for an undisclosed fee was, in her words, like a “shining light” on the horizon that focused her attention. She ensured she was “giving absolutely everything” in training at City despite knowing she was unlikely to play at the weekends. “It’s easy sometimes for those not playing to fall off the bandwagon in training and develop bad habits,” she says. “I didn’t want that to happen.”

Morgan has fond memories of growing up at the club among a “close-knit” squad who are like “family”. She made her first-team debut at 16 and was surrounded by England legends Jill Scott, Karen Bardsley, Bronze and Walsh, and she admits she was in awe of them in her first season. Morgan was also inspired by the dedication from, in her words, “the most incredible captain”, Steph Houghton, who was always the first one in the gym and “an ultimate professional”.

Morgan’s highlight was playing at the Etihad in the 3-1 Manchester derby win, her last appearance for City. She recalls running out onto the pitch as a substitute, hearing the roar of the crowd, and looking up at the East Stand where she once sat on her third birthday, cotton balls shoved in her ears because it was too loud. “I glanced up there and thought, ‘Wow, look how far I’ve come.’ That was special, a dream come true.”

But now it’s time for her to spread her wings. Morgan had interest from English and Spanish clubs, notably Tottenham Hotspur, Lyon and Atletico Madrid. However, the opportunity to work with former Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez, whom*organ says has a great relationship with Wiegman, was a huge attraction.

“Sarina really liked this as an opportunity for me to learn from one of the best coaches in the game and hopefully she’ll be a beneficiary of that too,” says Morgan. Wiegman was not the only one to give Giradlez the nod. Walsh and Bronze, who won back-to-back Champions League titles with the esteemed coach, also spoke highly of him and how he has improved their game.

“Keira was already an unbelievable player, but somehow she seems to have found another level,” says Morgan. “She had a lot less room for improvement than I do so if he managed to find some extra per cent out of her, then I’m really optimistic he’ll help me develop.

“I’m excited for levels in training to be reflected in the team that’s picked. That makes the most competitive training sessions and pushes everyone to be better.”

Another pull was the ambition of multi-club owner Michele Kang, an “icon” according to Morgan, who wants the team to dominate the league. “All the stories I hear, I’m like, ‘Wow, what a woman!’.”

The competitive and unpredictable nature of the NWSL was another attraction for Morgan who became “the biggest secret fan” as she watched all of the Spirit’s games from March.

“There is a stereotype held by people based in English football that the NWSL is just a kick-and-run kind of game, and that is not what I’ve seen in training,” she says. “The league is very different from what people expect.” Giraldez has clearly implemented, in Morgan’s eyes, his principles as a coach — a quick possession style that is intense on and off the ball — which she says fits her very well.

When former NWSL and USWNT player Sam Mewis met up with Morgan in Manchester this year, she told her former team-mate if anyone would suit the NWSL it would be her. When Mewis and Rose Lavelle had a brief stint across the pond at City in 2020, the players educated them on the rivalry between the two Manchester sides and Morgan has been informed of the budding rivalry between Gotham and the Spirit.

“Rose, we’ll have to be frenemies from now on,” Morgan smiles.

She describes herself as an “information hoover” on and off the pitch and she is relishing a new coaching style. “I just want to take on as much information as I can and try to be the best player I can be,” she says.

As well as remotely studying sports and exercise science to earn a degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, she likes training her brain, whether that be through Wordle via the New York Times games, language app Duolingo, arts and crafts or BBC News, which is the most used app on her phone. “Anything new you’ve got, I like to hear about it,” she says.

Her American trivia knowledge is being put to the test with daily questions on the changing room whiteboard and Morgan, who has only visited America once before on a trip to New York, is keen to explore local sights such as the Capitol, White House and Washington Monument, as well as the Grand Canyon.

But one step at a time. For now, she just wants to settle in as quickly as possible and prove what she can bring to the team. Ironically, her first test may come today against a familiar opponent. “I’ve literally come halfway around the world and my first game is Arsenal, crazy!” Morgan chuckles.

Don’t be fooled by the infectiously cheerful personality. Morgan is a fierce competitor and believes the Spirit have the right pieces in the jigsaw to be successful.

“I want us to win the shield and then the championship,” she says. “I’m here to win it all.”

(Top photo: Washington Spirit)

Charlotte Harpur is a football writer, specialising in women's football for The Athletic UK. She has been nominated for women's sport journalist of the year and previously worked on the news desk. Prior to joining, Charlotte was a teacher. Follow Charlotte on Twitter @charlotteharpur