One of the most well-known soccer players in the world, Alex Morgan, decided to hang up her cleats for the last time after 13 years of professional soccer. After playing for 13 minutes in her last SD Wave game, Alex Morgan walked off the field at Snapdragon Stadium, cleats in hand, her family by her side, and 26,000 fans chanting her name. In a bittersweet moment, everyone watching reflected on her amazing career. Alex Morgan changed the game for all women’s sports.
Alex Morgan has been the face of the growing National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) since the beginning of her career. Growing up, Alex Morgan played many different sports, including soccer. Yet she didn’t become serious about the sport until 14. Later, at age 17, she was called up to the USWNT under-20. After high school, she attended the University of California Berkeley, where she played on the women’s soccer team, in which she led the collegiate squad in scoring and helped them get to the NCAA Tournament all four years.
After her college career, she was the first draft pick for the WSL and started playing for the Seattle Sounders. After that, she moved from Portland to Orlando, and finally to SD Wave starting in 2022. Internationally, Alex Morgan’s first World Cup was in 2011. She was the youngest player on the USWNT at the time. She scored her first FIFA goal in the Semi-finals against France. Morgan quickly became a star player. She is a 2-time Olympic medalist and a 2-time FIFA World Cup Champion.
In 2022, she signed with the San Diego Wave. She brought a whole new generation to the NWSL. The NWSL stated, “For the third-straight season, league regular season attendance has surpassed one million fans. The feat was achieved during match No. 91 of the league’s 182-game slate this season, marking the fastest NWSL campaign to reach the milestone. To date, overall attendance has increased 42 percent year-over-year.”
Yet, throughout her career, Alex Morgan changed the game in so many ways. She advocated for equal pay in women’s sports. Alongside her USWNT teammates, Morgan pushed for the equal pay dispute, which was so women would be paid equal to men. Finally, US Soccer and the players reached a 24 million dollar settlement ,which would guarantee equal pay. Furthermore, Alex Morgan helped uncover the sexual abuse happening within the NWSL. Lastly, Morgan created her foundation called the Alex Morgan Foundation. This foundation is made to build up sports equality, empower girls, and support mothers. In a social media post, Morgan wrote, “Throughout my career, I’ve fought for equal pay and safe, supportive work environments in women’s soccer to inspire chance on a systemic level. Now, I’m excited to keep fighting on behalf of girls and women as we launch the Alex Morgan Foundation.”
Alex Morgan has and will continue to change the game for women’s sports. Her career has inspired countless young girls to always follow their passion. Maddie Wheeler, a CCHS soccer player said, “When I was little, I always looked up to Alex Morgan. Her passion for soccer encouraged me to push myself to become a better player and be proud of my accomplishments.”
Alex Morgan became the face of SD Wave, bringing many fans from all around the world to San Diego to watch her play. Now, Morgan is making way for the new generation of amazing soccer players to come.
“Of course, I am very sad to see my favorite player retire, but I will continue to watch how the NWSL will grow.”
