A LEGEND of the game, Alex Morgan has today announced her retirement from professional women’s soccer.
After 13 years, Morgan Carrasco will hang up her boots with this Sunday being her last outing as a professional player.
The San Diego Wave forward made the announcement on social media today that their home match against North Carolina Courage will be her last game, and that she is also pregnant with her second child.
The 35-year-old has been a mother-of-one with husband Servando Carrasco since May 2020, with their daughter Charlie often making appearances at her games.
She started playing for the California Golden Bears at the University of California, Berkeley where she was later drafted as the number one overall pick in the 2011 WPS draft.
During her career, Morgan had spells in Europe playing for Olympique Lyonnais and Tottenham Hotspur, but is most known for playing in America’s National Women’s Soccer League.
With 94 club goals and 123 international goals for the US Women’s National Team on her record, Morgan has been considered a GOAT of the game for a very long time.
Her influence on and off the pitch has helped to shape the women’s game, particularly after the success of the 2019 World Cup in which she won her second World Cup gold with the USWNT.
Morgan in numbers
Total Club Goals: 94
Total NWSL Appearances: 166
Domestic Trophies: 7
International Appearances: 224
International Goals: 123
International Trophies: 21
Individual Awards: 38
Changing the game
Morgan’s legacy off the pitch is just as pivotal as her on-the-pitch performances.
Throughout the 2019 World Cup, USWNT players were fighting an equal pay legal battle with the US Soccer Federation, with the aim of receiving the same pay as the USMNT.
They sought $67 million in back pay, per the amount they would have received in winnings for their recent back-to-back World Cup titles if they were under a men’s contract.
The lawsuit ended with the agreement that USWNT and USMNT winnings would be pooled together and split evenly among both sets of players.
With the Wave, Morgan partnered with Let’s Go South Bay! and Casa Familiar to help girls and low-income families access soccer and education programmes.
She has also been a player representative for the NWSL Player’s Association, advocating for equality and safe playing environments in the league following multiple sexual misconduct and abuse allegations.
Morgan’s impact on women’s soccer and its community is long-lasting and hard to miss.
Her performances on the international stage quickly made her a household name, and a significant face of the sport.
In her final game this Sunday at the Snapdragon Stadium, it won’t just be San Diego fans applauding the end of this iconic era.
