The main attraction of this Women's World Cup has finally arrived

EDMONTON, Alberta – Three weeks before the Women's World Cup began, Alex Morgan had what she called "a minor freak-out."

The tournament was getting closer and her left knee injury was not getting better – at least not the way she hoped.

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"The recovery process was taking longer than expected," the United States star forward said. When asked to describe the low point, Morgan said she began "getting into my own mind and thinking and analyzing too much."

Morgan is as close to a sure thing as the Americans have when it comes to scoring goals, but her return to full strength was not a sure thing considering the "accumulation of injuries" she had faced. Even before the knee trouble, there had been two ankle ailments since the gold-medal victory in the 2012 London Olympics. There's a reason she makes a reported $3 million in a sport where most make tens of thousands – she's a supernova on and off the field. This was supposed to be her tournament to shine, and with less than a month to go, it was becoming clear she would not be running the full 90 minutes when her team began play.

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On Monday night, deep into the second half of her team's round-of-16 game against Colombia, Morgan worked herself clear on the right flank, considered a cross and then buried a sharp-angled shot with her weaker foot to score the eventual winning goal in the Americans' 2-0 victory. It was proof that No. 13 had come all the way back.

"We needed that breakthrough at that moment," she said.

It was a breakthrough that required a delicate plan – one engineered by head coach Jill Ellis and her staff. There has been plenty of criticism for Ellis during this fortnight for her strategy and tactics, but the way she handled Morgan's rehabilitation should not be underestimated. If coach and the star went too fast, there was a risk of serious harm; if they went too slow, there was a risk that the "breakthrough moment" wouldn't happen when the team needed it most.

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Ellis' plan was devised even before the USA's send-off games, and it was carried through efficiently. The goal was to have Morgan at full speed by the third group stage game. Looking back now, it seems fairly safe, but the idea of starting the tournament without Morgan didn't sit well with anyone. A lot of fans tuned in specifically to see Morgan, and the team needed her scoring right away in the Group of Death. There was more than a little concern when Morgan didn't play at all in the team's last warm-up game against South Korea.

But to dump extra pressure on a player who already carried it herself was unwise at best. Instead, Morgan did impact training when she could and worked out in the pool when she needed to throttle down. Ellis consulted often with the strength staff and the nutrition side. Morgan worked and worked.

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"She did everything we asked," Ellis said.

When frustration built, Morgan talked to Abby Wambach for a confidence boost. It was Wambach who arrived with support during the "freak-out."

The result was a star player who seemed more than ready for action when the time came. Morgan raced onto the field in the U.S.'s first game, after it was well in-hand, and played more and more as the group stage went on. The Americans' attack, although lacking throughout the tournament, grew with her in it. She started against Nigeria, as planned. Ellis' cautiousness paid off.

"I don't think Jill would have played me unless I was 100 percent," Morgan said. "From the first game on, I felt 100 percent. When we got to Canada I went to full training and I felt great from the first game."

Now all of a sudden, Morgan is even more valuable than previously imagined. Megan Rapinoe and Lauren Holiday are suspended for Friday's quarterfinal against China after drawing their second yellow cards of the tournament, and so the plays created from midfield during the group stage won't be as readily wrought. Morgan may have to manufacture her own chances, as even she admitted on Monday she had no idea why the team doesn't build its own flow early in games.

That means Morgan, one of the few in the sport who can turn tight spaces on the field into goals, might need to be the difference-maker again. She might have to make this her tournament by necessity as well as by choice. Monday's goal, struck with her right foot instead of her usual left, was a prime example of that – she thought pass and chose instead to shoot. That play came only moments after Morgan was tackled by goalkeeper Catalina Perez, whose red card led to Wambach's surprising penalty kick miss.

Morgan was a force on Monday – a full force.

"She's one of the best strikers I've seen in the world," USA defender Meghan Klingenberg said.

Now Morgan is where she belongs – starring as the face of this U.S. team. And not a second too soon.