Alex Morgan says goodbye in final match of illustrious 15-year career

SAN DIEGO — Fighting tears, Alex Morgan waved to the crowd and walked off the field for the last time on Sunday as she capped an impactful 15-year career.

The two-time Women’s World Cup winner announced on Thursday she was pregnant with her second child and retiring from the game.

She started and wore the captain’s armband for the San Diego Wave in her final match, playing for the first 13 minutes against the North Carolina Courage before subbing out of the game to an ovation at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium.

“What a ride it’s been,” Morgan told the crowd after the match.

It was her 63rd appearance for the Wave, commemorated by a No. 63 jersey given to Morgan in a pregame ceremony. Overall, it was her 150th career appearance in National Women’s Soccer League play.

Before the match, the video scoreboard showed snippets of Morgan’s retirement video, along with highlights from her career. Her 4-year-old daughter, Charlie, accompanied her on the field. She had more than 95 family members and friends at the game.

The Wave’s starters posed for a photo imitating Morgan’s iconic “tea sipping” celebration, an homage to her iconic response to her go-ahead goal to beat England in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup in France.

Morgan’s U.S. national team career was full of accomplishments, including World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, and an Olympic Gold medal in 2012. In club play, Morgan played for the NWSL champion Portland Thorns in the league’s first year and helped the Wave win the Shield in 2023.

Morgan played in 224 matches for the U.S. national team, with 123 goals (fifth on the career list) and 53 assists (ninth). She was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2012 and 2018.