Alex Morgan Says Goodbye to Professional Soccer After Storied Career

United States' Alex Morgan is draped in the U.S. flag as she waves to fans after the United States beat Japan 5–2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on July 5, 2015. Elaine Thompson/AP Photo

Alex Morgan is hanging up her cleats after becoming one of the most decorated soccer players in American history.

The 35-year-old superstar striker is officially retiring on Sunday after leading the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) to two FIFA World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal over her 15-year career.

“It has been a long time coming, and 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 on social media, formally announcing her retirement.

“Soccer’s been a part of me for 30 years. And it was one of the first things that I ever loved. And I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of,” she said in the video posted on X on Thursday.

“It has been a long time coming, and 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 also announced she is expecting her second child. She already has a 4-year-old daughter and is married to Servando Carrasco, who played for five teams in Major League Soccer from 2011 until 2019.

“As unexpected as this came, we are so overjoyed,” Morgan said. “To me, family means everything. I wouldn’t be here without my husband and my family.”

Morgan plans to play her final game on Sunday for the San Diego Wave against the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL team.

That game will mark a long journey for Morgan, who was named U.S. Soccer’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2018.

Morgan first made her international mark when she scored the winning goal in the final against North Korea in the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

She earned her first USWNT cap in 2010 against Mexico when she was 20 years old and attending the University of California, Berkeley. In 2019, Morgan won the Silver Boot at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup with six goals and three assists. In that tournament, she also tied the U.S. single-game scoring record with five goals in the opening match against Thailand.

Morgan appeared in all seven games at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, making five starts. She scored a goal against Colombia and played a key role in helping the USWNT to its first World Cup title since 1999.

She finished her USWNT career with 123 goals—fifth all-time—and had 53 career assists. Morgan scored in 86 of her 224 international appearances, ninth all-time in U.S. history. Morgan also made 158 starts and she captained the American squad 23 times.

Morgan has also been a prolific player at the club level, playing with the Western New York Flash (2011), Seattle Sounders Women (2012), Portland Thorns FC (2013–15), Orlando Pride (2016–21), and the Wave (2022–24). Morgan will finish her career with the fourth-most career goals in NWSL history.

She also spent time overseas, playing for Lyon in France in 2017 and for Tottenham Hotspur in England in 2020.

Morgan is also a four-time Concacaf Player of the Year (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018), a five-time FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11 selection (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022), and a three-time finalist for FIFA World Player of the Year (2012, 2019, 2022).

As Morgan looks back on her career, she regards one of her greatest accomplishments as her influence on her daughter, who also wants to become a soccer player.

“It 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 four-year-old can see now,” Morgan said in the video.

“We’re changing lives, and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible. I’m proud in the hand I had in making that happen.”