Alex Morgan may have stepped away from the pitch, but she’s got no plans to step away from the game.
On a late September evening in Manhattan, she sat shoulder to shoulder with fellow U.S. women’s national team legend Ali Krieger as they battled it out together—this time on the screen rather than the field—during the EA Sports FC 25 launch party. She credits the game with bringing more visibility to women’s soccer, a mission that will be at the center of her post-retirement plans.
“I think EA Sports FC is another validator for people to have accessibility to women’s teams and get to know the players,” Morgan says. “Even five years ago it was almost impossible to get games on TV and follow teams here in the U.S., let alone other leagues around the world. To now have so many women’s leagues in the game, to be able to get to know so many players and keep up to date like we’ve been able to do so easily on the men’s side is so great and I’m a big advocate for that.”
And while she’s hung up her cleats, Morgan isn’t slowing down, even with her second baby on the way.
“I have a lot of things in the works,” Morgan says. “Aside from growing our family, I have my foundation that I’m continuing to grow, my media company TOGETHXR, I’m doing various investing with my husband as we get into VC a little bit more, and a couple more things on the horizon that I hope to be able to share soon.”
No matter what happens next for the decorated striker, her impact on the game she loves so much will be a lasting one. Morgan can truly say what many can only hope to do: She has left the game better than she found it.
Never can say goodbye
As Morgan surveyed the field in the 13th minute of her final professional match, she did her best to take in the moment. In front of a nearly sold-out crowd of over 25,000 fans, she took off her cleats, embraced her teammates, blew kisses to the fans and exited a National Women’s Soccer League field for the final time as a player.
“It was such an incredible and perfect day, and with the way everything came together so quickly, it was all just very emotional, overwhelming and super raw because there wasn’t going to be a chance to do it again,” Morgan says. “It was a moment that I wanted to soak in and really appreciate, not only to celebrate what I’ve accomplished, but to celebrate my family who have sacrificed so much and been there with me along the way.”
To help celebrate her one last time, Morgan’s fans—on short notice—made their way to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego to give a legend the send off she deserved.
“From the beginning of coming to San Diego, we’ve broken attendance records, so being able to fill that stadium with just a few days notice, having people drive and fly in from all over the country to come to that came and to see all the love and feel that support was incredibly special,” Morgan says.
Throughout her career, Morgan has been at the forefront of positive change and progress in the women’s game. On the national stage, she is known for her record-setting career and her tireless work on equal pay. In the NWSL, she used her platform to bring much needed reforms to the league, including shedding light on abuse and advocating for better playing conditions and a first of its kind collective bargaining agreement.
“From the very beginning in 2013, I thought it was incredibly important for us to have a stable professional league, so I have put everything I possibly could into it,” Morgan says. “My time on the playing field [may be over], but my time with the NWSL doesn’t stop here.”
Former teammates and coaches agree, Morgan’s lasting impact has forever changed the landscape of women’s soccer around the world, but her work is nowhere near finished, because that’s just not who she is.
“Alex is a player and a person that has influenced the women's game and influenced me when she came to Tottenham—she’s the ultimate professional,” says former Spurs manager Juan Carlos Amorós, who currently coaches NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Following her first pregnancy in 2020, Morgan played limited minutes for Spurs, but according to Amorós, that didn’t stop her from doing all that she could to ensure the club, players and environment were the best they could possibly be.
“Her legacy will last forever, but I’m sure she’s not stopping here,” Amorós says. “She’ll have a lot of impact in the community and in women’s sports in general with who she is and what she does.”
From the pitch to the stands
As Morgan shifts into this next iteration of her career, she is fully focused on continuing with her work in women’s sports, including helping to promote the success of EA Sports FC in centering women players all around the world.
While her ideal EA FC team would include any of the USWNT forwards of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman, it’s the two players behind her on the pitch that she couldn’t do without: goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Naomi Girma.
“Alyssa has continued to prove herself as the best goalkeeper in the world—it was amazing seeing the Olympics and what she did,” Morgan says. “Then you look at Naomi Girma—I’ve never played with such a smart defender. She doesn’t get herself in bad positions because of her positioning and footwork and she times per tackles perfectly. She rarely has to go to ground as a defender, which is very rare to see.”
In the coming weeks, Morgan will find herself in a more unfamiliar space with the USWNT—a spectator. The prolific attacker made 224 appearances and scored 123 goals for the four-time World Cup champions, but did not join the group for its most recent Olympic gold medal performance in Paris.
Despite her absence from the tournament, Morgan has seen the team turn the corner under new manager Emma Hayes. After a disappointing 2023 World Cup performance, Hayes has led a young team to success, including Morgan’s former Wave teammate Jayden Shaw.
Shaw, who can play as a forward or attacking midfielder, had a breakout rookie season and later helped steer the Wave to an NWSL Shield win last season.
“[Shaw] didn’t get time at the Olympics but she’s going to have a long career with the national team and in her club play,” Morgan says.
This fall, the USWNT will play friendlies against Iceland, Argentina, England and the Netherlands, with the latter two drawing particular interest from fans.
Morgan, who helped fuel a rivalry with her iconic tea-sipping goal celebration against England in the 2019 World Cup semifinals, is looking forward to seeing what this exciting young team can do.
“Going to England and playing England there is difficult,” Morgan says. “It’s an extremely big challenge. The team will be finishing up the season at that point, it’ll be the end of a very long season, but I think England have proven to be one of the top dogs just as the U.S. has year after year. I think it will be a really exciting game for the fans, regardless of what the score is.”
Her presence will surely be missed on the field and in the locker room, but Morgan remains grateful for her long, exceptional career. She especially relished the opportunity to end it on her terms, even if it was a bit unscripted.
”I’m just at a really good place now and I was ready,” Morgan says. “It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Morgan’s Retirement Marks New Chapter in Her Impact on Women’s Sports.
