U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan announced her retirement from soccer and that she is pregnant with her second child in a social media post on Thursday.
Alex Morgan is hanging up her cleats.
The U.S. women's national team legend announced her retirement from soccer on Thursday and shared that she is pregnant with her second child.
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"I have so much clarity about this decision, and I'm so happy to finally tell you," Morgan said in a social media video announcement. "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."
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Morgan shared that she will play in one last game when her National Women's Soccer League club, the San Diego Wave, hosts the North Carolina Courage on Sunday.
The 35-year-old forward began her senior career in 2008 and started playing with the senior USWNT in 2010. She went on to win the Women's World Cup in 2015 and 2019 while adding an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and Olympic bronze in 2021.
She finished her career with fifth in USWNT history with 123 goals and ninth in team history with 224 appearances.
Soccer
This summer's Paris Olympics marked the first time since 2008 that Morgan was left off the USWNT roster for a major competition. She had played with the USWNT in lead-up competitions throughout the spring and made her last cap on June 4 against South Korea.
As for club stints, Morgan has been with the Wave since 2022. She made previous NWSL stops with the Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride while also playing overseas with Olympique Lyon and Tottenham Hotspur.
"Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved," she said. "I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of."
Morgan and her husband, Servando Carrasco, welcomed their first child, 4-year-old daughter Charlie, in May 2020. Now, she is looking forward to seeing Charlie become a big sister.
"To me, family means everything," she said. "I wouldn't be here without my husband and my family uplifting, motivating, encouraging and supporting me and sacrificing for me for the last 15 years as a professional athlete."
