Alex Morgan is retiring.
In a four-minute, 33-second video posted to her social media, the U.S. women’s national team legend shocked the sports world by announcing that she has decided to hang up her boots and that she is pregnant with her second child.
“I have so much clarity about this decision, and I’m so happy to be able to finally tell you,” Morgan said between deep breaths. “It has been a long time coming, and this decision wasn’t easy. But at the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer.
“Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”
Morgan, 35, is a two-time World Cup champion and an Olympic gold medalist. She will go down as one of the greatest goalscorers in USWNT history, finishing her illustrious career with 123 goals (fifth most in program history) in 224 international appearances. She rose to become one of the most famous and popular players in the world, and is every young fan’s favorite – which was always evident by how loud the cheers were during player introductions before matches.
Morgan will play her final professional game for the San Diego Wave on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage at home.
This is a developing story.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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