U.S. Soccer icon Alex Morgan announces her retirement

Morgan, 35, who is pregnant with her second child will play her final professional game this Sunday with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave

Alex Morgan, U.S. Soccer icon and face of a generation when it comes to women’s soccer announced her retirement from the sport on Thursday.

A tear-filled Morgan took to social media to thank countless fans who cheered her on during a 15-year-career with the senior national team and in the women’s professional ranks that spanned seven world championship and multiple FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances, winning a pair in 2015 and 2019.

She also guided the U.S. to a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Games in London.

Morgan, 35, will play her final match as a pro this Sunday with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave when they take on North Carolina Courage. Even more amazing is that should Morgan make an appearance in that game she will do so while pregnant with her second child — a note she also divulged during Thursday’s announcement.

“I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer,” Morgan said via a release on U.S. Soccer’s website, referring to her beginnings as a member of the under-20 National Team in 2009. “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. 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 finishes her international career with 123 goals, ranking fifth all-time behind fellow USWNT notables Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly and Carli Lloyd.

In 15 years with the senior national team, the U.S. only lost a total of 15 matches with Morgan on the roster. Her last game for U.S. Soccer was in June against South Korea in a tune-up for the Summer Games in Paris, but Morgan was left off the 18-person squad in exchange for names like Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman, they trio that fueled a gold medal title and aided in restoring the U.S. to a No. 1 world ranking.

It was a decision from newly minted USWNT head coach Emma Hayes that perhaps first showed signs that Morgan’s run as a dominant figure in world soccer may be coming to an end.

“[It’s been] 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,” Morgan continued. “I am so incredibly honored to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years.”