On September 5th, 2024 after the San Diego Wave FC match, Alex Morgan, decorated women’s soccer player, announced her retirement from the great game. At 35 years old, Morgan is arguably one of the best to ever play the game of soccer (or football, depending on where you are from).
Alex Morgan started playing soccer at a very young age, quickly falling in love with the game. When she was young she played for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), developing her skill and talent and learning from her dad, one of her very first soccer coaches. At the age of 14 Morgan moved on from the AYSO and joined an elite California club soccer team, Coastal Elite. She won the Coast Soccer league under-16 championship with Coastal Elite. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America named her an All-American recruit and she also became a member of the Olympic Development Program.
When the time came for Alex to choose which college program she would take her talents to, she decided to stay close to home. Alex chose the prestigious University of California Berkeley. She played all four years with the Golden Bears from 2007-2010, earning many awards and honors. At Berkeley she was not only an insane NCAA D1 athlete but also a standout student, and she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political economy. Instead of using her degree to join the workforce, Alex was called up to the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) at just 20 years old.
She made her first cap for the team on March 10, 2010, in an international friendly against Mexico, where the US team won 1-0. Since then Morgan has made 224 appearances for the USWNT, scoring 123 goals and accumulating 53 assists. Morgan ranks fifth in most goals scored for the USWNT overall. Those goals weren’t just scored in a couple international friendlies, as a lot of them came on the biggest stage in the most important tournaments. In the 2012 London Olympic games, the US was playing Canada to get to the gold medal match. In the 123rd minute Alex scored one of her most iconic goals: Heather O’Reilly dangerously hit an airborne cross straight into the Canadian’s box, and without hesitation Alex leaped into action. Ferociously with her head she hit the ball which barrelled into the back of the net, just out of reach of Erin McLeod, the Canadian goalie. The stadium roared in a frenzy, and Morgan’s last minute goal sent the American’s to the gold medal match. The USWNT ended up winning the 2012 London Olympics with a 2-1 victory against Japan.
Off the field Alex took major strides for women’s soccer and women in general. Alex Morgan and her teammates won a $24 million dollar settlement in their gender discrimination case against the U.S. Soccer Federation in May 2022. The class action lawsuit against the USSF (United States Soccer Federation) cited The Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act for alleged gender discrimination in pay and working conditions. Alex and her teammates fought tirelessly to achieve the landmark decision that would ensure equal pay and resources for men and women in U.S. professional soccer. Morgan was one of the five players who filed the original complaint in 2016. The women’s team faced major backlash from the media and public eye for pursuing equal pay; nevertheless, they persisted through the hate and ended up winning big for women athletes. Morgan also authored a book series called The Kicks about girls soccer geared towards middle school aged kids with themes of self-belief and working together as a team.
Arguably the most important aspect of her life is her daughter Charlie. Alex was pregnant and gave birth to Charlie while in the midst of her professional soccer career. When she announced her pregnancy, many people wondered if the days of superstar Alex Morgan were over. She always intended to return to play after the birth of Charlie, but no one expected much out of her. Most of her doubters predicted she would play slow, off-pace, and lousy. They thought she would retire quickly after returning to the game. Alex proved everyone wrong and played four more seasons after Charlie came along. She demonstrated how becoming a mother would not derail from her career as a professional athlete. This momentous act on her part inspired many women and enlightened people who previously believed that a women athlete couldn’t come back after giving birth.
Alex Morgan changed women’s soccer for the better. A talent like hers spans generations and her name will forever be remembered in professional women’s soccer and sport.
