American women’s racing legend Alex Morgan announces retirement

Women’s soccer legend Alex Morgan announced on Thursday that she is retiring.

In a video posted to X, Morgan, 35, said she is pregnant with her second child and that her last match will be on Sunday, September 8, when the NWSL’s San Diego Wave take on the North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium.

“I have so much clarity about this decision and I’m so happy to finally tell you about it,” said an emotional Morgan, who added that she began to feel like this would be her last season in early 2024. “It’s been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy.”

Morgan’s influence on the next generation of female athletes

Morgan has seen the women’s game grow so much during her career, internationally and at club level. Even at home with her daughter Charlie, the influence of this generation of players is evident.

“Charlie came up to me one day and said she wanted to be a soccer player when she grew up,” Morgan said. “That made me incredibly proud — not because I wanted her to be a soccer player when she grew up, but because there’s a path that even a 4-year-old can see now.

“We are changing lives and the impact we are having on the next generation is irreversible and I am proud of the hand I had in achieving that, in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I am so happy and proud of.”

Morgan has played for a number of professional clubs during her career, including three spells with Orlando Pride, as well as Lyon in France and Tottenham Hotspur in the English FA Women’s Super League.

Internationally, she ranks fifth in USWNT history with 224 appearances and eighth in women’s history with 123 goals. She made her national team debut 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 the game and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”