Image Credit: Getty Images
Alex Morgan is closing one chapter while opening another.
The longtime United States Women’s National Team star officially announced her retirement on Thursday, stating that although it “wasn’t easy,” the decision “has been a long time coming,” and she has “much clarity about” it.
“At the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer,” the Olympic gold medalist, 35, said in a video shared on Instagram and X, both of which she captioned, “Thank you 🫶.”
“I am so incredibly honored to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years. I learned so much about myself in that time, and so much of that is a credit to my teammates and our fans. I feel immense pride in where this team is headed, and I will forever be a fan of the USWNT,” added the athlete, who debuted for the USWNT in 2010.
Thank you🫶 pic.twitter.com/8BkofVOh3s
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 5, 2024
“My desire for success may have always driven me, but what I got in return was more than I could have ever asked and hoped for.”
Morgan also revealed in the video that she and her husband, Servando Carrasco—who welcomed their daughter, Charlie Carrasco, on May 7, 2020—are expecting their second child.
“This is also not the retirement video I expected when I initially thought I was going to do this because Charlie is going to be a big sister. I am pregnant,” the soon-to-be mom of two said.
DENVER, CO – MAY 28: Alex Morgan of the United States poses during USWNT portraits at the team hotel on May 28, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
“And as unexpected as this came, we are so overjoyed,” Morgan continued. “To me, family means everything. I wouldn’t be here without my husband and my family uplifting, motivating, encouraging, supporting me, and sacrificing for me over the last 15 years as a professional athlete.”
The two-time Women’s World Cup champion said her final professional soccer game will be on Sunday, Sept. 8 when San Diego Wave FC hosts the North Carolina Courage.
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In 244 USWNT appearances, Morgan recorded 123 goals—ranked fifth all-time—and 53 assists.
“I grew up on this team; it was so much more than soccer,” she explained. “It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women’s sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field.”
Reflecting on her career accomplishments, Morgan said that her role in helping grow the sport of women’s soccer alongside her teammates on the USWNT is her crowning achievement. She shared that this became clear when her daughter told her she wants to become a soccer player when she grows up.
“It just made me immensely proud—not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now,” Morgan said, choking back tears. “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 happen, in pushing the game forward, and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”
Morgan co-founded Togethxr—a media and commerce company focused on equality, diversity, coverage, and investment in women’s sports—with WNBA legend Sue Bird, Olympic swimmer Simone Manuel, and two-time gold medal snowboarder Chloe Kim.
Sourse: hollywoodlife.com
