My Cure - Mallory Pugh/USWNT (Sequel to Attached)

Chapter 23

June 28th, 2022

Morgana's POV

T-30 minutes until kickoff for our second friendly vs Colombia. I'm not starting tonight, but I really don't mind. 

Trin, Mal and I were all on the bench to start out. After warm ups, we went back to the locker room one last time as a team so we could walk out. 

The starting lineup was announced, and we could hear it. The starters lined up, to walk out in a line, while the rest of us just went out whenever we were ready in the span of the next 4 minutes. 

I walked out with Trin and Mal, and there were some little girls screaming our names from the stands. We looked over and waved, and they screamed. 

"Morgana! Smile!" I heard, looked in that direction, and gave a smile and thumbs up to the camera. 

The three of us found our spots, and put our sub pinneys on the seats until after the anthem. 

The photographers walked by the bench, and they all took pictures of us. We got a group picture with all the other girls that weren't starting, and I jumped on Mal's back, causing her to fall over and we had some funny group pictures. 

At the 22nd minute, Colombia scored an own goal, and we were up 1-0. 

It was still 1-0 at the half, just a few unlucky missed shots. 

The amount of times Kelley has looked behind her to me and said "We're missing our Morgana." is too many to count. 

We had out halftime talk, but it didn't seem to work as we couldn't get a freaking goal. 

He pulled Trinity, Mal, and Kelley off the bench at the half, but something just wasn't working. 

"I don't wanna pull Hatch because she's so close." Vlatko said to our assistant coach. "But I need to put Morgana in so we can score." 

"Pull Lindsey and make Morg play mid for the rest of the half. She was fine last game." 

Midge Purse lightly hit me with the back of her hand, telling me to get off the bench and start warming up again. 

I did, and I wasn't able to hear Vlatko much but whatever. 

At the 65th minute, he told me to take off the pinny, and I went to the middle. 

The board had 10 in red, and 22 in green. 

"Leaving the match: #10, Lindsey Horan." Said the announcer. "Entering the match is #22, Morgana LaRue!" 

I high-fived Linds, then sprinted on, trying to figure out where I fit in the midfield.

"Morgana, cover her." Ashley said, pointing to a girl. 

I followed the girl, and when she got the ball, I forced her to make a mistake to which Trinity took the ball up and put in a cross that a defender cleared. 

At the 70th minute, there was lightning, and the refs had to put the game on hold. 

"You only got to play 5 minutes!" Sanchez said sadly as we walked off. 

"That's okay. We'll be back on soon enough." I told her, and we jogged to the locker room. 

---------

40 minute delay and we were finally back. We got 12 minutes to warm up again, then we had 20 minutes left to play. Plenty of time to score. 

Well just a few short minutes after we got back on the field, Kelley scored a ridiculously good goal from outside the 18 to put us up 2-0, which made me feel better because we weren't winning off an own goal. Also Kelley scored, so of course I was ecstatic for her. 

In the 88th minute, a defender was shielding the ball, and Hatch ran up behind her, trying to get the ball before the goalie did. But she didn't, and she accidentally ran into the defender. 

Well the defender didn't like that, so she went up behind Hatch as she was running away ans shoved her. 

Hatch got mad, and threw her hands up, pushed back a little bit, and the girl came up to her But before she touched Hatch again, Hatch shoved her face backwards. Oops. 

3 other Colombian players ran up to Hatch, and one even shoved her but stepped back after like a complete coward. 

I ran up in a fit of anger, and I yelled "COWARD!" at the girl. She probably had no idea what I said because she speaks Spanish, but another girl did. 

She shoved me, and I pushed back. 

"Don't you touch me!" I said. "Or her." I pointed to Hatch. 

"Mind your own." She said. 

"She's my teammate and my friend, why should I?" 

"You're not anything other than a pretty face." 

"Oh REALLY?" I shoved her again, but this time she had a worse reaction. 

She went to punch me, which was so weird and an overreaction, but I blocked it with my right hand. Then she went with the other hand, but I ducked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hatch, Sonnett, and Trinity talking about something with the ref, and Mal and Kelley came over to me. 

"What's that for?" Mal asked the girl, stepping in front of me. 

"Your teammate's a bitch." 

Not the first time I've been called a bitch by an opponent in my very short career, which was weird. 

"Don't call her a-" 

"Mal don't do something stupid!" Kelley said. 

"She's not a bitch. Don't touch my girl and I'll keep my hands off you." Said Mal. 

"Your girl?" The player laughed. 

"Yeah, my girl."

When the girl laughed again, Mal lunged at her, and I screamed to get everyone's attention. 

The crowd gasped, and I got on the ground to pry Mal off the girl. Some of the other Colombian players came to stop their teammate too, and I yanked Mal so hard that we both went rolling. 

The ref gave them both red cards, and I looked at Mallory's face. She had a busted lip, and a black eye, very similar to my fight with Lena. 

"Are you fucking crazy???" I asked her. 

"Crazy about you." She said. 

"Mallory Diane. You know this is terrible right?" 

"But I wouldn't change a thing." 

"Oh Mal." I shook my head as we stood up, and she got escorted off the field. 

I got a yellow card, so did Hatchy, and a few other Colombian players did too. 

"It's okay, Morg. Calm down." Sanchez put her arm around my shoulders as we all went back into position. "Head back in the game. Let's go." 

I watched Mal walk into the locker room, and sighed. The ref blew the whistle, giving the ball back to the goalie so she could play it. 

We had 6 minutes of stoppage, plenty of time to score. 

I took 2 shots that were saved, and it was getting into the last minute. 

"Morgana! You're a midfielder! Get back!" Ashley said. 

"Shit. Sorry!" I moved back, making up. The ball came at my player, and I forced the girl to disposess the ball, right to the feet of me. 

I took all the anger that was left from the fight and used it to get up the field, get through 3 defenders, and take a shot to the upper left corner, impossible for a goalie to get. 

The crowd went wild, and I smiled as everyone came to celebrate. 

"For Mal." I laughed, then I put up 9 fingers, but not very high. 

"Mal's crazy." Ashley laughed. 

"You're telling me." 

This was hands down my favorite moment of the 2022 USWNT, so I had to include it of course. Hope you enjoyed :)