US football great Alex Morgan bids farewell in final match
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Alex Morgan of the San Diego Wave speaking to fans after the game against North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept 8.
PHOTO: AFP
SAN DIEGO – United States football icon Alex Morgan bade an emotional farewell to football on Sept 8 as she played the final game of her glittering career before heading into retirement.
The 35-year-old striker announced her decision to hang up her boots on Sept 5, after revealing she was pregnant with her second child.
She played the first 13 minutes of the San Diego Wave’s 4-1 National Women’s Soccer League loss to the visiting North Carolina Courage.
“What a ride it has been,” Morgan told the cheering crowd after the match.
“I want to thank my teammates who have constantly challenged me every day and made me better.
“There have been so many incredible moments in my career but this last moment I share on the field with you, I will cherish forever. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
Morgan, who wiped away tears after speaking, thanked her family for their support and sacrifice and told her fans: “You pushed me to be my best self every day.
“You pushed me to be the best soccer player, the best mum, the best person I could be just showing up every day and supporting me, encouraging me, challenging me, criticising me at times.
“I just thank you so much.”
The two-time World Cup-winner led San Diego’s players onto the field at the Snapdragon Stadium and posed for photos with family and friends before lining up at centre forward.
Fans held up posters with messages of gratitude such as “Thank You Alex”, while other fans and loved ones wore T-shirts with the slogan “SAND13GOAT”, referencing her club and shirt number.
The fairy-tale farewell did not quite follow the script, with Morgan seeing her 10th-minute penalty saved just seconds before San Diego equalised through Kennedy Wesley.
That goal was the cue for Morgan to be substituted in the 13th minute – reflecting her jersey number.
Morgan was one of the world’s best-known women’s players during her career, part of a golden generation of American women who blazed a trail for the sport.
She starred in the 2015 and 2019 US Women’s World Cup-winning teams, and became known for her work off the field as she pushed for gender equality in sport.
Morgan’s 14-year international career saw her score 123 goals, fifth on the US women’s national team all-time list, with 53 assists in 224 internationals.
Her final game in a US shirt came on June 4 against South Korea, with her last goal coming against Argentina in February in the Women’s Gold Cup.
Morgan gave birth to her first child, daughter Charlie, in 2020 and became the 14th mother to play for the Americans.
Her club resume includes winning a league title with Portland in 2013, and stints with Lyon in 2017 – when she helped the club win the French league, French Cup and Champions League – and Tottenham Hotspur in 2020.
Meanwhile, Chelsea forward Sam Kerr said she will not jeopardise her future in the game by rushing her recovery from a second anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Australia’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals in 128 appearances, Kerr suffered the injury during training with Chelsea in January and missed the Paris Olympics.
She also missed the 2012 London Games due to a similar injury. AFP, REUTERS
