Alex Morganone of the greatest legends of the United States Women’s National Team, has officially announced her retirement from professional soccer.
Morgan, who announced Thursday that she is pregnant with her second child, will prepare for one last professional match on Sunday, September 8 when San Diego Wave face North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California.
“I grew up on this team – it was so much more than just soccer,” said Morgan, who arrived at her first U.S. women’s national team training camp in late 2009 at age 20. “It was the friendships and unwavering respect and support for each other, the tireless push for global investment in women’s sports and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field. I am incredibly honored to have borrowed the badge for over 15 years. I have learned so much about myself in that time and a lot of that is a credit to my teammates and our fans. I have immense pride in the direction this team is going and will always be a fan of the national team. My desire to succeed may have always driven me, but what I got in return was more than I could have asked for and hoped for.”
Morgan, 35, concludes a legendary 15-year professional career in which she scored a slew of key goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team and became one of the most celebrated players in the world due to her prolific goalscoring exploits, dynamic personality, off-field work on behalf of women’s sports and equality, and uninterrupted winning streak. Her cultural impact on women’s soccer is matched by only a select few players in the history of the sport and her inspiring interactions with her fans were second to none.
Morgan finished her U.S. women’s national team career with 123 career goals, fifth all-time, along with 53 career assists, ninth all-time in U.S. history.
The U.S. record in matches in which Morgan appeared is 177 wins, 15 losses and 32 draws. She scored in 86 of her 224 international appearances (ninth most all-time in U.S. history), while making 158 starts, and captaining her team 23 times during that span. In the 86 matches in which Morgan scored, the U.S. women’s team never lost, with a record of 76 wins, 0 losses and 10 draws.
Morgan’s 176 combined goals and assists rank fifth all-time in USWNT history, behind only Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly and Carli Lloyd.
In 2023, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation to create equity and opportunities for girls and women on and off the field of play, focusing on sports equity and supporting mothers. It was another step in a long career of charitable work, service and advocacy.
(With information from USWNT)
