Alex Morgan Retires After 14-Year Career
Alex Morgan, the face of the U.S. women’s soccer team, recently went into retirement, but not without making history throughout her fourteen-year career.
An icon on the field, she continued to be a strong advocate for organizations and charities when off the field. Morgan played at an international and professional level for fourteen years; in that time she has changed sports for women all over the world.
Morgan has competed in four World Cups, winning two. One in 2015 and the other in 2019. She is a three-time US olympian. She competed in London 2012, bringing home a gold medal for the United States. She played in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020, winning a bronze medal.
In 2016, Alex and five of her teammates from the US Women’s National Team filed an EEOC complaint over inequality in pay and treatment in US women’s soccer. As a result of the report, a $24 million settlement was achieved in 2022. This settlement ensured that US Soccer would pay both female and male teams equally for all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup.
In March of 2023, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation to build a more equitable and empowered future for not only her daughter but girls everywhere. The foundation supports empowerment and an example for young girls and mothers in the local area and beyond.
Morgan has involved herself in many organizations to help others; she is an ambassador for UNICEF, which is a humanitarian aid organization that works to protect the rights of children in over 190 countries. She co-founded Togethxr, a women-focused sports media company. As well as supporting the ASPCA, which is one of the largest animal welfare grantmakers.
Alex Morgan announced she went into retirement sooner than expected as she found out she was pregnant with her second child. In an interview with Essentially Sports, she stated, “A few weeks ago I found out that I was pregnant, and it was unexpected as it was. I was so happy because this was what our family wanted, a couple of months sooner than expected.”.
Morgan played her last game on September 8th, 2024, against the North Carolina Courage. She was celebrated walking off the field for the last time by her teammates, fans, and the opposing team as well.
