ENCINITAS — Alex Morgan, a celebrated soccer star and San Diego Wave striker, has announced her retirement from the sport, closing the chapter on a career that has inspired future generations of young girls.
Morgan, 35, a two-time Women’s World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, shared an emotional video on Instagram on Thursday, expressing how “immensely proud” she was to have contributed to advancing equality in women’s soccer.
“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,” Morgan said. “Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of. Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all and I did just that.”
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The three-time Olympian and the Wave’s all-time leading scorer also shared personal news, revealing that her 4-year-old daughter, Charlie, will soon have a sibling — her second child with husband Servando Carrasco.
“This is also not the retirement video I expected when I initially thought I was going to do this, because Charlie is going to be a big sister,” Morgan said. “I’m pregnant. As unexpected as this came, we are so overjoyed. To me, family means everything. I wouldn’t be here without my husband and my family uplifting and motivating and encouraging and supporting me and sacrificing for me for the last 15 years as a professional athlete.”
Morgan, 35, began her soccer journey at UC Berkeley, where she played for the Golden Bears before being drafted first overall by the now-defunct Western New York Flash. She later joined the Portland Thorns in their inaugural season in 2013, helping the team secure a National Women’s Soccer League championship.
The California native’s career included stints with English side Tottenham Hotspur and three separate periods at Orlando Pride before she joined San Diego Wave in 2022, where she made 45 appearances and scored 22 goals.
Morgan first gained international attention as the youngest player on the 2011 U.S. Women’s National Team World Cup squad, which finished as runners-up that year. Over her prolific international career, she helped lead the United States to two FIFA World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal.
Throughout her career, Morgan has been a vocal advocate for gender equality in sports. In 2016, she was among five players who filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging wage discrimination.
The group later sued the U.S. Soccer Federation over unequal pay compared to the men’s national team, ultimately reaching a $24 million settlement in 2022. This landmark case significantly impacted the landscape for aspiring female soccer players, including her daughter, Charlie.
“Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player,” Morgan said. “It just made me immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now. We’re changing lives, and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. And I’m proud of the hand I had in making that happen, in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I’m so happy and proud of.”
Morgan’s announcement drew an outpouring of support from fellow athletes, including Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, and her San Diego teammate Sofia Jakobsson, who wrote that she was “forever grateful” to Morgan.
Morgan is set to play her final match for the Wave against North Carolina Courage at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium. Tickets are still available.
City News Service contributed to this report.
