On Sunday, two-time Olympic gold medalist, World Cup champion and soccer legend, Alex Morgan, played her last game after announcing her retirement and pregnancy on Sept. 5.
At Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego Wave FC faced off against North Carolina Courage on Sunday. Morgan’s final game served as the first time a women’s sporting event was aired across multiple media outlets simultaneously in the U.S., according to a San Diego Wave FC article. As the team walked out of the tunnel preparing for kick off, Morgan’s retirement video played over the jumbotron with Charlie Carrasco, Morgan’s daughter by her side. All Wave players were pictured wearing her iconic pink pre wrap.
“She’s like the main athlete I heard of when I was growing up, especially for soccer and women’s sports, and she’s always encouraged me to do better and play better, and that I can always improve,” JV soccer player Coral Diaz (12) said. “She’s always had a big impact and [been a] motivational person in my life.”
With Morgan part of the starting 11, she stepped onto the pitch one last time. Kennedy Wesley, Wave forward, scored in minute 13, allowing Morgan one last chance to celebrate with her team before being subbed off. Morgan took off her shin guards and cleats, passed on her captain’s band and gave her teammates her final hug on the field and waved her final thank you to 26,516 fans, who traveled from near and far.
“It was definitely emotional watching Alex step off the field for the last time,” girls varsity assistant soccer coach, Matthew Rosendo said. “It felt like just yesterday I was watching her take the field in the 2011 World Cup and somehow 13 years had already flown by. Though it is the end of an era, it was great to see her get the send off that she deserved with the entire stadium applauding her.”
Morgan played 63 games with San Diego Wave FC and “… finished her career with 150 regular season appearances in the NWSL while scoring 60 goals and 23 assists,” according to an article released by San Diego Wave FC. Morgan signed with San Diego Wave FC in 2022, becoming one of the first players to sign with the National Women’s Soccer League new expansion team.
“While I was already looking forward to having the Wave come to San Diego back in 2022, hearing that Alex Morgan was going to be part of the team made me a lot more excited to support the team going forward,” Rosendo said. “She had quickly become my favorite player to watch in the women’s game and I knew that her experience, talent and leadership would be a great fit for the new expansion side going forward.”
Morgan began her professional career about 15 years ago and was able to accomplish significant changes within women’s sports. In 2019, Morgan and other prominent NWSL players sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination. The lawsuit resulted in an equal pay settlement in 2022.
“She really cares about how the younger generation is going to improve,” varsity soccer player Annika Pallia (12) said. “And as she said in her retirement video, she said that she is there to help the younger generation of [women’s sports].”
In Morgan’s retirement video, she referenced the fact that she’s grateful her daughter will even have the opportunity to succeed as a possible professional women’s soccer player in the future, now that there is a “pathway that exists” and is accessible to young female athletes.
“The impact that she has had off the field has truly cemented her legacy as one of the great trailblazers in all of women’s sports,” Rosendo said. “For all of us fans, it felt like there was nothing she could not do. In fact, I have several friends who have never watched a second of women’s soccer and know exactly who Alex Morgan is and that is a testament to how her work off the field transcends the game itself. It gives hope to the next generation of athletes that they can not only accomplish what she has on the field, but do it while being viewed as an equal in the process.”
While Morgan hung up her boots for good, many believe that her legacy won’t end here.
“Alex is an absolute legend of the game and her presence within the game will sorely be missed,” Rosendo said. “I hope that her legacy inspires the next generation of young players that look up to her and how she represented herself on and off the field.”
