Morgan
Gautrat
- Position Midfielder
- Number 6
- Date of Birth Feb 26 1993
- Height 5' 7"
- Club Chicago Red Stars
The Island Effect
Morgan Brian grew up in Georgia on St. Simon’s Island, a tiny island that is three miles wide. When she worked on fundamentals in her driveway, she’d trample the crabs that crept up out of the marsh. Because of the small island population, Brian played up several age groups. “I was nine, and we were playing with kids that were 14. I hadn’t grown yet.” Her tiny size earned her the nickname ‘Plankton’—the character from her then favorite show, SpongeBob SquarePants.
There was also a huge pickup culture: they played frequent 3v3s on the beach, which she thinks influenced her connective style. In high school, Brian was always playing pickup with the guys—competitive, high-level games. “I love pickup,” says Brian. Once Brian began leaving the island for higher level competition in Florida, she also played pickup there. Today, she continues to train via pickup games. She met her husband, former soccer player Fabrice Gautrat, while playing pickup.
Success Fueled by Rejection
Morgan’s entire club team tried out for the Florida State ODP team (which St. Simon’s Island fed into). Florida had an ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ team, so every player on her team made at least one of those rosters—except for Brian. “My club coach was like, ‘You can either pout about it or use it as motivation, and in retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” The next year she made the ‘A’ roster state team.
Brian's coach also had his players each fill out a goal sheet: what they wanted to work on now, and what they wanted long term. One of her goals was “start for my club team.” Her coach pulled her aside and said, “What are you doing? You should put, 'Be on the Women’s National Team'.”
The Island Effect
Morgan Brian grew up in Georgia on St. Simon’s Island, a tiny island that is three miles wide. When she worked on fundamentals in her driveway, she’d trample the crabs that crept up out of the marsh. Because of the small island population, Brian played up several age groups. “I was nine, and we were playing with kids that were 14. I hadn’t grown yet.” Her tiny size earned her the nickname ‘Plankton’—the character from her then favorite show, SpongeBob SquarePants.
There was also a huge pickup culture: they played frequent 3v3s on the beach, which she thinks influenced her connective style. In high school, Brian was always playing pickup with the guys—competitive, high-level games. “I love pickup,” says Brian. Once Brian began leaving the island for higher level competition in Florida, she also played pickup there. Today, she continues to train via pickup games. She met her husband, former soccer player Fabrice Gautrat, while playing pickup.
Success Fueled by Rejection
Morgan’s entire club team tried out for the Florida State ODP team (which St. Simon’s Island fed into). Florida had an ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C’ team, so every player on her team made at least one of those rosters—except for Brian. “My club coach was like, ‘You can either pout about it or use it as motivation, and in retrospect, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.” The next year she made the ‘A’ roster state team.
Brian's coach also had his players each fill out a goal sheet: what they wanted to work on now, and what they wanted long term. One of her goals was “start for my club team.” Her coach pulled her aside and said, “What are you doing? You should put, 'Be on the Women’s National Team'.”
