US women's star Morgan to retire after final match
US soccer icon Alex Morgan, who inspired the Americans to two Women's World Cup football crowns, announced on Thursday that she will retire after a final club match on Sunday. The 35-year-old striker, who led the USA to 2012 London Olympic gold, also revealed she is pregnant with her second child. Morgan announced on social media that she will play her last match on Sunday when her San Diego Wave play host to the North Carolina Courage in a National Women's Soccer League match. Morgan was one of the world's best-known women's players. She starred in the 2015 and 2019 US Women's World Cup title runs, and is known for her work off the field in making a cultural impact as she pushed for equality in women's and men's sports. 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. "I grew up on this team. It was so much more than soccer," Morgan said. "It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women's sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field. "I am so incredibly honoured to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years... "My desire for success may have always driven me, but what I got in return was more than I could have ever asked and hoped for." Since scoring her first international goal in 2010 against China, Morgan found the net against 32 nations, scoring the most against Japan with 12. Her final game in a US shirt came on June 4 against South Korea. Her last goal for the Americans came against Argentina last February in the Women's Gold Cup. Morgan played in 22 Women's World Cup matches and scored nine goals while netting six goals in 16 Olympic matches. Morgan gave birth to her first child, daughter Charlie, in 2020 and became the 14th mom to play for the Americans. Her club history 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 UEFA Champions League – and Tottenham in 2020. (AFP)