The iconic women’s soccer star, Alex Morgan, announced her retirement on Thursday, September 5 in an emotional video message.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), the NWSL’s San Diego Wave player revealed that she is expecting her second child and that her next match will be her final.
The NWSL’s San Diego Wave will face off against the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, September 8, at Snapdragon Stadium.
The 35-year-old expressed, "I have so much clarity about this decision and am so happy to finally tell you. It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn't easy."
Over her career, Morgan has witnessed the significant growth of women’s soccer, both internationally and domestically.
She also feels proud of the sport’s impact on her daughter, saying, "Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up she wants to be a soccer player. It made me 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 4-year-old can see now."
Morgan further added, "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 and pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I'm so happy and proud of."
Moreover, Morgan’s career included stints with the Orlando Pride, French club Lyon, and Tottenham Hotspur in England’s FA Women’s Super League.
She has the fifth-most appearances in USWNT history with 224 and ranks eighth all-time with 123 goals, making her debut in 2010.
