No goals in nine games - does the USWNT have an Alex Morgan problem, or has her role just changed?

It feels like forever ago, given all that's gone on since. So much time has passed since the last time we saw Morgan celebrate a goal with the USWNT.

That came all the way back on February 11, giving the USNWT a 1-0 lead over Brazil in the SheBelieves Cup. It was her second goal of the year, having netted the previous month in a friendly against New Zealand.

And what a finish it was, to be fair. After Mallory Swanson's initial shot, the ball fell to Morgan right near the top of the box. The USWNT striker unleashed a curling effort that no goalkeeper could save, giving the U.S. the lead. Swanson was first to hug her, Crystal Dunn was next. The USWNT were rolling.

Much has changed since. Swanson, of course, saw her World Cup hopes derailed by the most unfortunate of injuries. Manager Vlatko Andonovski is now gone, with the U.S. now in full coaching search mode. And there was, of course, that four-game run at the World Cup, one that felt all too short for a team like the U.S.

In total, Morgan has gone nine matches without a goal, totalling 660 minutes on the field throughout that run without finding the back of the net.

For much of that stretch, Morgan's dry spell extended to the NWSL. From May until September, she went eight-straight NWSL games without scoring for the San Diego Wave, the worst stretch of her career in the league.

That snapped on September 30 when Morgan finally got on the scoresheet against the Portland Thorns with a goal that was equal parts skill and luck. Wave defender Christen Westphal played a looping cross towards Morgan in the 38th minute, forcing the forward to contort her body to get to the ball. The USWNT star ended up flicking a header towards goal, leaving goalkeeper Bella Bixby going in the wrong direction as the ball trickled into the back of the net.

From there, the old 'ketchup bottle' metaphor came together, as Morgan scored again in her club's final regular season game, a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville as her side lifted the NWSL Shield.

In total, Morgan finished the regular season with seven goals, good for fifth-most in the league - as well as five assists, joint-second in the league - despite her extended goal drought.

For forwards, goals are obviously the most important stat, but at club level, you can argue that Morgan's performances were as good as ever despite her drought. She was third in the league in total goal contributions, proving that she's more than just an out-and-out striker at this stage of her career. And, despite the low moments, Morgan actually led the league for shots on target per 90, with 48 percent of her efforts this season heading goalwards.

In addition, Morgan also had the second-highest expected goals (xG) in the league with 8.2, behind Ashley Hatch's absolutely ridiculous xG of 13.1 Those stats carry over to the World Cup, where Morgan had an xG of three in those four USWNT games, but came up scoreless.

So what does all that mean? Well, it's a sign that, for once, the goal tally may just have been lying a bit. Morgan is continuing to do everything right as a striker, but, for much of this year, has been missing a little luck.

The stats continue to tell the story that Morgan is evolving her game as she gets a bit older. In the NWSL this season, Morgan finds herself in the 88th percentile in assists per 90 amongst forwards. Perhaps more notably, though, she's in the 80th percentile in progressive passes.

It's a sign that Morgan is receiving the ball deeper, picking her head up and moving it forward, a far cry from her start as the pacey 'Baby Horse' that first burst onto the scene. As her career has continued on, Morgan has turned into more of a creator, which suits her just fine with the pieces around her.

And no matter who the new USWNT head coach is, it's likely that Morgan will play in a much different way going forward than she has throughout the bulk of her career. The 34-year-old is turning into a player that's part-playmaker, part-goalscorer, a natural evolution for many of the elite as they head towards their final years. The question now is how many years she has left.

If Morgan is to hold onto her starting spot with the USWNT, she'll really have to earn it. The current group of America up-and-comers are too talented to keep down for long.

A quick glance at the roster for the upcoming friendlies against Colombia shows just how good this team is. There's Morgan, of course, as the veteran leader, alongside other familiar faces in Lynn Williams and Midge Purce. Young stars like Alyssa Thompson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman are next up, and all have World Cup experience under their belts as they look to lock down their own roles for years to come.

Hatch is included, too, as she looks to turn her NWSL goals into a more regular role for the national side. And then there's Mia Fishel and Jaedyn Shaw, two rising stars that have the potential to shake up this group almost immediately.

That's nine names for three spots, and that's not even including Swanson or Catarina Macario, who will both be back in the picture once healthy. It's a crowded forward pool, and given the small roster sizes for the Olympics, the new coach will have some ridiculously tough decisions to make next summer.

One of those decisions will center around Morgan: is she in the squad, and if she is, what kind of role will she play?

By this time next year, will Morgan still be the USWNT's starting striker? And if not, can she transition into a role similar to Megan Rpainoe's last cycle, one that allows her to bring leadership and perhaps a spark off the bench?

It'll be a tough call, one that will be made all the more difficult if Morgan can get scoring again. The upcoming friendlies against Colombia are a good chance for Morgan to do just that as she looks to make a statement against a legitimately talented team who reached the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Olympics will no doubt be a major motivation, too. It's the one tournament Morgan hasn't conquered. After falling short in 2016 and 2021, Morgan and the U.S. will be desperate to use the Olympics to prove that, despite all that's happened in recent cycles, this program remains the best out there.

The pressure is on now, though. Morgan won't be able to hold off the USWNT's next generation for much longer, but she'll hope to get one last moment in the sun next summer. To do, she must rediscover her shooting boots.