US Women’s Soccer legend and San Diego Wave FC star Alex Morgan announced her retirement on Thursday.
The two-time Women’s World Cup Champion and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist took to social media to break the news.
“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.”
The captain will play her last game with the Wave on September 8 before hanging up the cleats.
She has had some ups and downs in her career like in 2019, scoring a crucial header goal in the semifinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup that led to the famous “sipping tea” celebration to then not making the 2024 US Olympic team roster after being a starter for the team.
Morgan ranks fifth all-time in USWNT history with 176 goals and assists combined. Morgan was a pioneer for the NWSL as she played in every year of its existence. She won the NWSL Golden Boot in 2022 with 15 goals.
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In 2023, Morgan launched the Alex Morgan Foundation. Its goal is to create equity and opportunities for girls and women on and off the field while focusing on sports equity and support for moms.
She is also a co-founder of TOGETHXR with Sue Bird, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel and Chief Content Officer Jessica Robertson. It began in January of 2022 and its goal is to shatter the narrow deceptions of women in the media using content featuring a diverse and inclusive community of culture shapers, game changers, barrier breakers and thought leaders.
They sell the popular “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” merchandise on their website.
She will forever be a part of soccer history. From fighting for equal pay to setting records, her reign as the goat of soccer will always be remembered. She paved the way for many young soccer stars to have a chance to play professionally and is a huge role model.
“I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of,” Morgan said in the retirement video.
She had her daughter Charlie in May of 2020 and in the retirement video, she revealed that she is pregnant, and Charlie will become a big sister.
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