A one-of-one footballer whose influence and impact is immeasurable, we look back at the legacy Alex Morgan leaves behind following her retirement.
For a group of superfans, No. 13 is actually good luck. And no, it’s not the Swifties.
Instead, it’s the faithful who have cheered on Alex Morgan through her game-changing pro career that spanned 14 years. The soccer legend announced her retirement last Thursday and played her final match the following Sunday.
Morgan improved the sport in countless ways. The soccer world will now be without a fearless leader who championed equal rights and was a symbol of hope for many girls that they could, indeed, do it all.
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In her tearful farewell video, the two-time World Cup champion reflected on how her four-year-old daughter, Charlie, said she wants to be a soccer player when she grows up. Morgan said she’s grateful for how the sport has changed and how she’s welcoming her second child into a better world where women are continuing to make strides toward equality.
“Soccer’s been a part of me for 30 years,” Morgan said. “It was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of. Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all and I did just that.”
Sports stars from beyond soccer, including Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles, WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, and brand accounts like Barbie and Coca-Cola all showed love to the soccer legend in the comments of her Instagram post. Congresswoman Kathy Castor, the LPGA, and Serena Williams’ husband/Angel City FC co-owner Alexis Ohanian also congratulated Morgan on X.
We’re just getting started 😤 Pickup an ice-cold @CocaCola from @Kroger and show your support for the @USWNT! Continue to #BelieveWithUS #CokePartner pic.twitter.com/0i4P4jyXK0
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) August 3, 2023
Morgan, who has sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola, Reese’s, and plenty other brands, has paved the way as an entrepreneur and philanthropist. With 10 million Instagram followers and her Alex Morgan Foundation, she’s shown that players are more than their skills on the pitch.
Fellow United States women’s national team member Trinity Rodman, who is one of the squad’s new stars carrying the torch, expressed gratitude for how Morgan helped create the path for future generations.
“You can say she’s changed the game of soccer, but it’s so much more than that,” she said during a Washington Spirit press conference. “She’s changed the world in such an amazing way with how many people that she can touch…she’ll never get enough credit for all the things that she’s changed in the sport and outside of the sport.”
A Grand Finale for a Standout Career
In her retirement video, Morgan took time to acknowledge her support system that made her culture-shifting work possible. She’s been in the NWSL since its inception in 2013, while also having stints abroad with Lyon, where she won the 2017 UEFA Women’s Champions League, and later Tottenham. Morgan married her husband, former MLS player Servando Carrasco, in 2014 and he has been a constant presence cheering for her along with her millions of adoring fans.
Morgan played a symbolic 13 minutes in her final match with the San Diego Wave in front of a crowd of more than 26,000 fans. In a pregame ceremony, the club gave her a No. 63 jersey to commemorate her 63rd appearance for the team. She has been on the roster since the Wave’s inaugural season in 2022, when she won the NWSL’s Golden Boot with 15 goals.
She finishes her time in the league, where she also played for the Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns, with 60 goals. Not to mention her time on the USWNT, where she won back-to-back World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal. Her 123 goals makes her the fifth-leading scorer in national team history. Another mind-blowing stat: The USWNT never lost a match in which she scored, going 76-10-0 across her career.
alex morgan retires with what i believe is one of the most impressive stats in the history of the game.
the uswnt went 76-10-0 whenever she scored a goal. meaning the uswnt NEVER lost a game that alex morgan scored in.
— danielle | thank you alex (@sandyeggowfc) September 6, 2024
Her final match with the Wave was broadcast on CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, NWSL+, Prime Video, ESPN2 and ESPN+, which according to an NWSL press release was the first time a women’s sporting event was shown across multiple outlets simultaneously in the United States.
“Alex Morgan has had an immeasurable impact on both the NWSL and the global soccer community — and she has inspired generations of players and fans around the world,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “… Our partners coming together to celebrate Alex is an event that speaks volumes about the power of sports and female athletes to unite fans everywhere. Alex couldn’t be more deserving of this moment.”
It’s unclear what Morgan’s next steps are, although she has plenty on her plate between her off-the-pitch ventures and family life. But her legacy is already set in stone.
“We’re changing lives, and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible,” she said in her retirement announcement. “I’m proud in the hand I had in making that happen and pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I am so happy and proud of.”
Championing Equality for Women Athletes
Perhaps what will go down as Morgan’s biggest contribution to the world of sports is how she fought for equal pay. The two-time World Cup winner was the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against U.S. Soccer to demand that the USWNT was paid equally as the men’s squad. And, after a six-year legal battle, they won.
In a historic decision, U.S. Soccer vowed to pay both teams equally for making the national team and appearing in matches. The women’s team was awarded $24 million plus bonuses to be split among players and to also be put into a retirement fund.
Beyond that, in an unprecedented move, U.S. Soccer said both the men’s and women’s team would equally split World Cup money. Previously, despite winning two straight titles, the women’s team was paid significantly less — $4 million for their 2019 title — than the men’s, which only went to the knockout round in 2014 and made $5.4 million. The men’s squad didn’t even qualify for the tournament in 2018. That year, France won the championship and raked in $38 million.
The fight wasn’t easy and Morgan said she had to persevere through the grueling legal process to see the spoils of victory.
“I doubted if this was going to actually happen,” she told USA TODAY Sports. “We’d put in hundreds and hundreds of hours talking to lawyers and going through multiple failed hopeful settlement times and depositions, and I really questioned if it was all for anything. We came out of that and realized, no, we’re at almost the end point. Keep fighting. Keep your heart in it and keep your head in it.”
The NWSL and the NWSLPA have agreed to a new CBA, extending the current contract by four years to 2030.
NWSL to eliminate draft, guarantee contracts, and grant unrestricted free agency to all players. Alignment to global standards and term extension through 2030 position the… pic.twitter.com/Za8JqqRKRY
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 22, 2024
The ripple effect caused change for women throughout the landscape of the beautiful game. In 2022, the NWSL and its players agreed on its first collective bargaining agreement. The league raised the minimum salary 60% to $35,000 among other financial benefits. Last month, the league and the NWSLPA revisited the contract and boosted player pay even more. Other provisions, including scrapping the draft and ensuring players agree to a trade, empower player choice.
In November, the league announced a historic four-year media rights deal between CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports with 118 national windows. The deal is worth $240 million, per ESPN, which blew the previous media rights contract out of the water.
Two months later, Mallory Swanson signed the longest and most lucrative contract in NWSL history. She agreed to terms with the Chicago Red Stars for a four-year contract with a fifth-year option worth $2 million.
After winning the lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, Morgan expressed how she hoped the decision empowered women in other industries to take a stand. A 2022 Pew Research study found that in the United States, women only made on average 82% of what men made. There was only a two percent increase from a previous study 20 years earlier.
“Something we did that can transcend beyond sport is challenging the norm. Asking questions. Supporting each other in our quest for equal pay. And equal conditions,” Morgan continued in the USA TODAY Sports interview. “Because we banded together, because we really stood up together, we were stronger against our employer. I think that really helps show other women — or can inspire other women — to ask for more transparency in their own situation.”
TOGETHXR Changing the Media Landscape
Morgan knew the power of the media before the NWSL captured its mega deal. In 2021, she co-founded TOGETHXR with fellow Olympic champions Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird. The company is a media platform that celebrates women’s sports through engaging content and inspirational storytelling. Three years in, TOGETHXR boasts nearly 3 million followers across social media.
Perhaps the company’s biggest accomplishment is the ubiquitous “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” T-shirts. Celebrities from Jason Sudeikis to Dawn Staley have sported the iconic T-shirt. The company recently did a collaboration with the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest team, and released a neon green edition of the shirt for the tennis U.S. Open. Several imposters have popped up online, but you know the saying, often imitated, never duplicated.
Besides TOGETHXR, other media platforms like Just Women’s Sports and HighlightHER launched around the late 2010s and early 2020s and have now taken over the sports media landscape. Talk about a movement.
The fact Morgan put her investment into the media company shows her passion for elevating women’s sports and her vision that such an endeavor would be successful.
Celebrating Motherhood
enjoying the quiet moments ✨ pic.twitter.com/aakax0RHrr
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) September 8, 2024
As Morgan said in her farewell video, she has shown throughout her career that family is just as important to her as the beautiful game. She welcomed her daughter, Charlie, in 2020 and the little girl has captured hearts across the country with her personality and style just like her mother.
Morgan walked into her final match wearing a sleek green ensemble and a Kate Spade soccer ball purse. She was holding Charlie’s hand, who was wearing a colorful San Diego Wave kit and floral stunner shades.
The dynamic duo have brought many other feel-good moments to the internet, including when the family dressed up as characters from Ted Lasso for Halloween. Morgan and Carrasco were Keeley and Roy, while Charlie stole the show as the eponymous character.
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Morgan was vocal about celebrating provisions in the new NWSL CBA that equip players for motherhood, including allowing children to travel with the team and providing access to family planning resources.
“These are things that you don’t see in men’s leagues, so we had to think outside the box and look at protecting and supporting moms as much as possible,” she said on Good Morning America. “Because I didn’t want to choose, back in 2019, I was at the height of my career and I didn’t want to choose to keep playing soccer or be a mom, I wanted to be able to do both. So to be a part of this and actually have a say in this contract that’s so groundbreaking, I’m really proud of.”
In 2023, Morgan passed Joy Fawcett for most USWNT goals scored as a mother with 14.
Swanson, who’s played with Morgan on the USWNT since 2016, commented on the significance of the record and how it embodied Morgan’s legacy.
“I looked up to her before she had Charlie,” Swanson said, according to Just Women’s Sports. “But, even after, I think that just seeing her as a mother and what motherhood brings, you can see it, she’s like a completely different person. … I think it’s super inspiring that not only off the field she’s a great mom, but on the field she’s still able to do what she has always done and score goals and basically be Alex Morgan.”
