Women’s soccer legend Alex Morgan announced her retirement from football on Thursday.
In a video posted to X, Morgan, 35, said she is pregnant with her second child and that her final game will be on Sunday, Sept. 8, when the NWSL’s San Diego Wave face the North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium.
“I have so much clarity about this decision and I’m so happy to finally be able to tell you,” said an emotional Morgan, who added that she felt at the beginning of 2024 that this would be her last season. “It’s been a long time coming and this decision was not easy.”
Morgan’s influence on the next generation of female players
Morgan has seen the women’s game evolve at international and club level throughout her career, and the influence of this generation of players is also evident at home with her daughter Charlie.
“Charlie came to me the other day and said she wants to be a soccer player when she grows up,” Morgan said. “That made me incredibly proud – not because I want her to be a soccer player when she grows up, but because there is a path that even a four-year-old can see now.”
“We are changing lives and the impact we are having on the next generation is irreversible. I am proud of my role in making that happen and for moving the game forward and bringing it to a place where I am so happy and proud.”
Morgan has played for several professional clubs throughout her career, including three times for Orlando Pride, for French club Lyon and for Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Women’s Super League in England.
At the international level, she has made the fifth most appearances in USWNT history with 224 caps and is the eighth-best player of all time in women’s soccer with 123 goals. She made her debut for the national team in 2010.
“Football has been a part of me for 30 years,” Morgan said. “It was one of the first things I ever loved and I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever imagined.”
