The two-time World Cup champion, Morgan, has announced her retirement

One of the all-time top goal scorers for the U.S. women’s national team, Alex Morgan is a two-time World Cup winner who announced her retirement from professional soccer on Thursday.

Morgan will play her last professional match on Sunday when her San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League meet the North Carolina Courage. Morgan also disclosed that she is expecting her second child.

Morgan, 35, declared in a video on X, “I’m retiring.” “I’m thrilled to be able to tell you at last because I feel so clear about this decision.

“This decision wasn’t easy to make, and it has taken a long time. But I had a deep-seated sense at the start of 2024 that this would be my final soccer season.

After attending her first national team training camp in 2009, Morgan went on to become one of the most well-known female athletes in the world because of her outgoing demeanor, prolific scoring, and advocacy for equality and women’s sports off the field.

Morgan concluded her international career with 123 goals, which ranks fifth all-time in American history. She was twice voted FIFA Women’s Player of the Year runner-up.

In the 123rd minute of the 2012 Olympics, Morgan scored a legendary goal to secure a 4-3 victory over Canada in the semi-finals, setting up a penalty shootout. Morgan went on to win the gold medal.

Morgan, who is among the last living representatives of the legendary American women’s soccer team, was not included in the team that took home the gold medal in the Olympics in Paris this year.

“Soccer has 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,” Morgan explained.

Giving it your all and never giving up is how I define success, and I achieved both.”