Alex Morgan hangs up her boots. The star forward for the United States national team announced via social media that she is retiring from soccer and that her last match will be this Sunday with her team, the San Diego Wave when they face the North Carolina Courage.
Without a doubt, a legend has left us, and perhaps the best player of the Stars and Stripes team where she won everything.
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“I have a very clear thought about this decision and I’m very happy to finally be able to tell you,” Morgan said.
“It has been a long process and this decision was not easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season I would play football.”
Blessed with exquisite technique, Morgan, 35, has made her way to the top of the list, scoring 123 times for her country and providing 53 assists in 224 games.
With her, the last footballer of a golden generation that included Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, and Julie Johnson among others, who won 4 World Cups and 5 gold medals at the Olympic Games, is leaving.
Morgan is the third-highest scorer for the USWNT at World Cups, having won titles at Canada 2015 and France 2019, as well as winning Olympic gold at London 2012.
Surprisingly, Morgan did not participate in the Paris 2024 Games, she was unable to play in her fourth Olympics and therefore could not add her second gold medal, after the United States took its fifth Olympic gold.
“I have grown up on this team, it was about so much more than just soccer. It was about the friendships and the tremendous respect and support for each other, the work to drive global investment in women’s sports, and the key moments of success on and off the field,” Morgan said in statements released by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
“I am incredibly honored to have represented this shield for 15 years,” she added. “I have learned a lot about myself in that time, and a lot of that is down to my teammates and our fans. I am incredibly proud of the direction this team is taking and will always be a fan of the U.S. women’s national team.”
While it is true that her performance had declined, this was not the reason for her retirement, but rather her second pregnancy, as she mentioned in the video.
The player already has a daughter with her husband, footballer Servando Carrasco, who played for Fort Lauderdale (Inter Miami affiliate) in 2020.
“My wish 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 concluded.
The player played for several teams in the United States women’s league, as well as Lyon in France and Tottenham in England.
Morgan made her debut for the national team in a match against Mexico in March 2010 and last wore the uniform on June 4 in a 3-0 friendly win over South Korea.
The American also announced this Thursday that she is pregnant and will be a mother for the second time. Her last game will be this Sunday with the Wave against the North Carolina Courage.
