United States soccer legend Alex Morgan announced her retirement from the game on Thursday. Morgan will play in her final match this Sunday when San Diego Wave FC takes on the North Carolina Courage in San Diego.
Alex Morgan officially announces retirement
“It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy,” Morgan said. “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, 35, represented the United States at the international level from 2010-2024. She ranks fifth in USWNT history with 123 goals and ninth with 53 assists in 224 caps. Her combined 176 goals and assists also rank her fifth all-time. In her 224 caps, the USWNT went 177W-15L-32D.
Morgan collected a heavy amount of hardware throughout her playing career with the USWNT. She won two U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year awards in 2012 and 2018, was named to the FIFA FIFPRO World XI six times, was named Concacaf Female Player of the Year four times (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018), won two Women’s World Cups (2015, 2019), an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and bronze in 2020, and five SheBelieves Cups (2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024).
Morgan always rose to the occasion and scored goals in crucial moments for her country. Her run of dominance with the USWNT cemented the United States as a women’s soccer powerhouse and she solidified herself as one of the best female players in the sport.
At the club level, Morgan played with the Western New York Flash, Seattle Sounders Women, Portland Thorns FC, Orlando Pride (three different stints), Olympique Lyonnais Féminin (loan), Tottenham Hotspur (loan), and San Diego Wave FC. She’s scored 78 goals in 201 total appearances at the club level.
Also at the club level, she won the NWSL with the Portland Thorns in 2013, Coupe de France Féminine, Women’s Champions League, and Division 1 Féminine in 2016-17 with Lyon, and the NWSL Challenge Cup with San Diego Wave FC in 2024.
Morgan played a major role in changing how the women’s game is viewed not just in the United States, but worldwide. She will have her send-off this Sunday to close the book on an illustrious and iconic playing career.
Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports
