Alex Morgan retires from professional football, expecting second child | Football News

Morgan will play her final game with her club team, the San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League, on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

In addition to the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles, Morgan also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

Early in her career, she was known by the nickname Baby Horse, a nickname given to her by her teammates for her long strides. One of her most memorable goals came in London, the overtime winner against Canada that put the United States in the Olympic final. The year before, she had scored in the World Cup final against Japan.

At the 2019 World Cup, Morgan scored the decisive goal in the 2-1 semi-final win over England and celebrated by pretending to drink tea.

Morgan played in 224 games for the national team, ninth all-time, with 123 goals (fifth all-time) and 53 assists (ninth all-time). She was named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2012 and 2018.

Along the way, Morgan has become perhaps one of the most recognizable athletes in America. She has had partnerships with companies like Coca-Cola, Chipotle, Google and Nike, and in 2022 she was named the most supported female athlete by SponsorsUnited, which tracks global sponsorship deals.

I don’t think many people will ever understand the weight you carried as the face of this team and women’s soccer in general, US captain Lindsey Horan said in an Instagram tribute to Morgan. You made the game better for so many little ones who looked up to you and what an incredible career you had on top of it all.

Her last match with the United States was on June 4, 2024, against South Korea. She was not selected by new coach Emma Hayes for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

Morgan, who is as well-known for her activism as her play, was one of five players who filed a wage discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2016. The team filed a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer in 2019, alleging unequal pay and treatment compared to the men’s national team. The lawsuit was settled, and in 2022, the parties agreed to collective bargaining agreements that provide the teams with equal pay and benefits.

Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving it my all, and I did that, Morgan said. I give it my all on the field every day, and I did that by giving it my all in the relentless push for investment in women’s sports, because we deserve it.

Morgan has been with the Wave since 2022. She is a founding member of the NWSL and has also played for the Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride during her career. In 2022, she was the winner of the league’s Golden Boot for most goals. She has also spent time at international level with Lyon and Tottenham.

Morgan was one of the key figures who exposed the NWSL’s abuse scandal in 2021, which led to the firing of five coaches in the league and prompted an investigation that uncovered systemic abuse and misconduct.

Morgan was instrumental in mobilizing fellow players to demand that the NWSL adopt an anti-harassment policy and the reforms she advocated for improved working conditions across the league. She also served on the negotiating committee for the final collective bargaining agreement with NWSL players, announced last month.

“Alex’s legacy will live on for generations, not only through the records, awards and trophies she earned, but through the countless lives she touched along the way,” said NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman.

Morgan and her husband Servando Carrasco have a daughter, Charlie, who was born in 2020.

Charlie came to me the other day and said that when she grew up she wanted to be a soccer player,” Morgan said.

“It just made me so 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 have on the next generation is irreversible. I am proud of the role I have played in making that happen, in moving the sport forward and leaving a place that I am so happy and proud of.

First publication: 06 Sep 2024 | 11:24 am IST