Football icon Alex Morgan has officially announced her retirement from the sport.
Morgan’s final professional game will be on September 8 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego when her team, the San Diego Wave, takes on the North Carolina Courage.
“I’ll get to the point quickly. I’m retiring and I’m so clear about this decision and I’m so happy to finally be able to tell you,” Morgan, 35, said in a video she posted on social media on Sept. 5. “It’s been a long time coming and this decision has not been easy. But at the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this would be the last season I would play football.”
As part of her announcement, Morgan also revealed that she is pregnant with her second child.
The athlete has a four-year-old daughter, Charlie, with her husband and fellow footballer Servando Carrasco.
“This is also not the retirement video I was expecting when I first thought I was doing this because Charlie is going to be a big sister,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’m pregnant and as unexpected as this was, we are so overjoyed. Family means everything to me.”
As Morgan reflected on her career, she remembered a sweet conversation with Charlie that made her sentimental.
“Charlie came to me the other day and said she wants to be a soccer player when she grows up. And that made me incredibly proud, not because I want her to be a soccer player when she grows up, but because there’s a path that even a four-year-old can see right now,” she said. “We’re changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. And I’m proud of the hand I’ve had in making that possible, in moving the game forward and getting it to a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”
In the comments section, many athletes expressed their support for Morgan’s decision.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark wrote “Legend. Congratulations!!” with a goat and heart emoji.
Simone Biles used the same emoji and commented: “Congratulations on an incredible career. Thank you for supporting women’s sports!!”
Soccer players Rose Lavelle, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson expressed their love for Morgan, as did Abby Dahlkemper, who wrote: “Legend Al. There will never be another like you. I love you and am so proud to have shared the field with you.”
Morgan also issued a statement to USSoccer.com regarding her retirement.
She said: “Growing up on this team, it was so much more than just football. It was the friendships and unwavering respect and support for one another, the tireless commitment to global investment in women’s sport and the defining moments of success both on and off the field.”
“I am incredibly honored to have been able to loan the crest for over 15 years. I have learned so much about myself during that time and much of that is thanks to my teammates and our fans,” she continued. “I am incredibly proud of where this team is headed and I will forever be a USWNT fan. While my desire to succeed has always driven me, what I have received in return has been more than I could have ever asked for or hoped for.”
Morgan has been playing soccer professionally for 15 years and during that time she quickly rose to fame as one of the best strikers of all time. Morgan won an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and is also a two-time world champion.
Morgan was cut from the U.S. women’s soccer roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics in June. At the time, she expressed her disappointment, saying, “This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I am incredibly proud every time I wear the crest. In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team and cheering them on along with the rest of our country.”
