It is the end of an era in women’s soccer. Alex Morgan, one of the elite offensive players and goal scorers and popular soccer stars in the world, announced her retirement from professional soccer on Thursday.
Morgan, a 35-year-old striker for the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, posted an emotional and lengthy four-plus minute video on social media to state her last match will be this weekend against the North Carolina Courage.
“I have so much clarity about this decision, and I am so happy to be able to finally tell you,” Morgan said in the video. “It has been a long time coming, and this decision wasn’t easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer.”
Morgan also revealed the exciting news that her family is growing and she was pregnant with her second child during the video.
“Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years. It was one of the first things that I ever loved. And I gave everything to this sport. What I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of,” Morgan said.
Embed from Getty ImagesMorgan made her debut for the USWNT in 2010. Later that year, she earned her stripes by scoring a crucial goal in Italy in a FIFA World Cup playoff to help the U.S. qualify for the 2011 World Cup. She quickly cracked the starting lineup and formed a partnership with Abby Wambach to help the U.S. finish in second place at the 2011 World Cup prior to capturing the 2012 Olympic gold medal.
“We’re changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible and I’m proud in the hand I had in making that happen in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of,” she said.
She had a golden foot, scoring 123 goals for the US, putting her in the top five on the all-time USWNT list.
Morgan’s body started to betray and she struggled with injuries ahead of the 2015 World Cup but eventually worked her way back and started for the USWNT as they grinded through the tournament before decisively defeating Japan 5-2 in the final. She scored six goals at the 2019 World Cup (five of them in a 13-0 win over Thailand) to finish tied for most at the tournament.
She played in her fourth and final World Cup in 2023, starting all four games for the USWNT as they were sent packing in the round of 16 for the first time.
“Charlie [Morgan’s daughter] came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player and it just made me like immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a four-year-old can see now,” Morgan said.
