Alex Morgan says goodbye with final match after an illustrious 15-year career

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Fighting tears, Alex Morgan waved to the crowd and walked off the field for the last time on Sunday as she capped an impactful 15-year career.

The two-time Women's World Cup winner announced on Thursday she was pregnant with her second child and retiring from the game.

She started and wore the captain's armband for the San Diego Wave in her final match, playing for the first 13 minutes against the North Carolina Courage before subbing out of the game to an ovation at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium.

"What a ride it’s been," Morgan told the crowd after the match.

It was her 63rd appearance for the Wave, commemorated by a No. 63 jersey given to Morgan in a pregame ceremony. Overall, it was her 150th career appearance in National Women's Soccer League play.

Before the match, the video scoreboard board showed snippets of Morgan's retirement video, along with highlights from her career. Her 4-year-old daughter, Charlie, accompanied her on the field. She had more than 95 family members and friends at the game.

The Wave's starters posed for a photo imitating Morgan's iconic 'tea sipping' celebration, an homage to her iconic response to her go-ahead goal to beat England in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup in France.

Morgan's U.S. national team career was full of accomplishments, including World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, and an Olympic Gold medal in 2012. In club play, Morgan played for the NWSL champion Portland Thorns in the league's first year and helped the Wave win the Shield in 2023.

Morgan played in 224 matches for the U.S. national team, with 123 goals (fifth on the career list) and 53 assists (ninth). She was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2012 and 2018.

When she subbed off, she fought back tears as she removed her cleats at midfield. During the substitution, a tifo in the supporter's section read "For Country, Club, Community".

Despite the nearly 100-degree heat, a crowd of 26,516 fans filled Snapdragon for Morgan's farewell match. Among them was San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove, who went to the match straight from his start against the San Francisco Giants.

"Twelve thousand tickets were sold in one day when she announced that this was going to be her last game" NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said, "That's the power of Alex Morgan."

Wave fan Amber Brunner attended the match with her family, saying "My girls fell in love with soccer because of her."

Off the pitch, Morgan advanced women's soccer in her fight for equal pay with the men’s national team. The U.S. women filed a lawsuit in 2019 that led to a historic agreement in 2022 that paid both the men and women equitably.

A young fan at the game held a sign that said "Thank you Alex for all of your hard work for women's sports."

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