By Canadian Press

Alex Morgan retires from professional soccer and is expecting her second child

Sep 5, 2024 | 9:16 AM

Two-time Women’s World Cup champion Alex Morgan announced she is pregnant with her second child and is retiring from professional soccer.

Over the course of a 15-year career with the United States, Morgan not only made an impact on the field, she also helped lead the team’s fight for equal pay and was outspoken about social justice issues.

The 35-year-old Morgan will play her final match with her club team, the San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League, on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

In addition to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Morgan also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 London Olympics. She first joined the national team in 2009.

Over her career with the U.S. team, she played in 224 matches, ninth-all time, with 123 goals (fifth all-time) and 53 assists (ninth all-time).

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“I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer,” Morgan said in a statement. “It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women’s sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field. I am so incredibly honored to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years. I learned so much about myself in that time and so much of that is a credit to my teammates and our fans. I feel immense pride in where this team is headed, and I will forever be a fan of the USWNT.”

Morgan was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year twice.

Her final game with the United States came on June 4, 2024, against South Korea. She was not on the roster of players that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Morgan was among the players who sued U.S. Soccer in 2019 for gender discrimination, citing inequitable pay and treatment compared to the men’s national team. In 2022, the sides agreed to collective bargaining agreements that pay both teams equally.

Morgan has a daughter, Charlie, who was born in 2020.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press