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U.S. women’s national team player Alex Morgan said Friday she is excited about her upcoming retirement after helping women’s soccer get to an “amazing place.”
The San Diego Wave FC forward announced Thursday that Sunday’s National Women’s Soccer League game against North Carolina Courage will be the final game of her distinguished career, adding that she is expecting her second child.
“We are in good hands, the future of women’s football, the present and the future of women’s football is in an amazing place where I have done everything I had to do,” Morgan said at a press conference on Friday before her farewell.
“Seeing these players come out on the pitch and do their job and be able to do it at such a young age with such voices and such confidence, that’s what makes me so happy to be here and say yes, I’m retiring.”
Morgan, a two-time World Cup champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, said she also wants her legacy to be what she helped achieve off the field.
Morgan was among five players in 2016 who filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over pay discrimination. The team then sued the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2019, citing unequal pay and treatment compared to the men’s national team. The lawsuit was settled and in 2022 the two sides agreed to collective bargaining agreements that give the teams equal pay and benefits.
Morgan was also a key figure in shining a light on systemic abuse and misconduct in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2021, leading to the firing or resignation of five league coaches and sparking an investigation.
“I had a responsibility, not only to fight for equal pay, to fight for equality in the sport… to raise the bar and protect players, but also to make the game a way to play and make a living,” said the 35-year-old. “Whether it was at 16, 18, 20, 21, I wanted players to have that way and feel like they had the resources to be the best they could be from that age. I feel like I did my part.
“I hope my legacy is that I moved the game forward, that I helped gain respect for the women’s game, that I increased the value and investment in the women’s game, and that I helped players.”
Morgan made her debut for the U.S. women’s national team in 2010 and has scored 123 goals in 224 appearances, ranking fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list. Despite being a key figure in four World Cups, she was left off the squad for the 2024 Olympics, where the team won the gold medal.
“This year has been tough mentally and physically with injuries and missing key players from the women’s national team,” Morgan said. “(But) this year has been a year I’m very grateful for, despite all the ups and downs.”
The striker will now look to end things on a high for the Wave, who currently sit 12th in the NWSL standings. Prior to Sunday, the team had not won in the league since May.
“I will be playing limited minutes this week, but despite that, it is a great honour to be able to lace up my boots and step out on to this pitch for the last time.”
Just hours after Morgan’s announcement on Thursday, the Seattle Wave revealed that the lower court at Snapdragon Stadium had already sold out. The stadium currently holds the record for the highest attendance for a National Women’s Soccer League playoff game, with a total of 32,262 fans watching the 2023 semifinal between Seattle and the OL Reign (now known as the Seattle Reign).
“This is not just a celebration of me,” Morgan said of her final match. “It’s a celebration of everyone who did something to help me get here.”
As for what comes next, I’ve ruled out the possibility of getting a side job.
“I don’t think coaching is my future,” Morgan said. “I think I’ve found my calling in investing in women’s sport, and doing my best to get as much support as possible for women’s sport.”
“When it comes to my role after football, that still has to be decided.”
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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