SAN DIEGO -- Snapdragon Stadium was filled with 26,516 fans on Sunday, some of them kids. The fans packed the stands as they watched star forward Alex Morgan take the field for her final game.
The crowd and the moment was notable, but the signs were equally special. They read, “Alex, you’re my hero” and “Because of you, I can dream bigger. Thank you Alex!”
Many of the kids in attendance may aspire to become professional soccer players. But even if they do not, they know it is an option, including Morgan’s daughter, Charlie.
One reason for that is Morgan.
“Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player,” Morgan said in her retirement video. “It made me immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because the pathway exists.”
omen’s soccer
Morgan was an outstanding player, but she also grew women’s soccer tremendously. She was a key figure in the movement for equal pay. She was the lead plaintiff when players sued U.S. Soccer for equal pay and treatment with the men’s national team.
In 2022, a landmark agreement was reached, with the federation giving equal pay to the men’s and women’s national senior teams in all tournaments and friendlies.
“I hope my legacy is that I pushed the game forward,” Morgan said. “That I helped gain respect for the women's game, that I increased the value in the investment in the women's game, and that I helped players and myself not only be respected in the game but have better resources be protected, have player safety be at the forefront.
Have women soccer players just play soccer and not have to fight for so much, so many other things that we've had to continually fight for.”
Morgan also played a role in amplifying the concerns of her former Portland Thorns teammates Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, who accused coach Paul Riley of sexual coercion and other misconduct.
Eventually, multiple NWSL owners were pushed out of the league, coaches (including Riley) were banned, and the NWSL created an anti-harassment policy (among other policies) to protect players.
“What happened in 2021 was a reckoning in the league, and the growth we've seen in three years has far surpassed the growth that the NWSL had the previous eight years,” Morgan said.
(3/3) pic.twitter.com/BkGlHsPiV4
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) September 30, 2021
The first NWSL collective bargaining agreement (CBA) started in 2022, and Morgan was a part of the NWSL Players Association bargaining committee that helped achieve the new CBA.
The NWSL and the NWSLPA agreed to a new CBA that extended free agency for all players and will increase salaries. The base salary cap will move to 5.1 million by 2030 “with an expectation for further increase based on the revenue sharing model.” Plus, the minimum salary will become $82,500 in 2030. There will also be more money for end-of-season award bonuses.
"It's incredible what you can do when you listen to players, when you value players, when you pay players, when players have autonomy over where they want to live, and what team they want to play,” Morgan said.
The NWSL still has room for growth, but these measures (among others), boosted by Morgan's efforts, have helped make soccer a viable career for women.
Morgan also fights for equity and opportunity through her outside endeavors. Morgan is one of the founders of Togethxr, a media company that highlights women’s sports, and the Alex Morgan Foundation, which seeks to achieve “equity and opportunity on and off the field.”
“I don't think coaching is in my future,” Morgan said. “I've found my calling in investing in women's sports, doing as much as I can to give as big of a platform to women's sports as possible.”
Morgan is retiring as she expects her second child with husband, Servando Carrasco. The send-off was as unique as the player. The San Diego Wave scored in the 13th minute (her number). Then, the crowd showered her with “Alex Morgan” chants as she took off her boots and hugged her teammates.
Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images
Morgan can always remember her incredible legacy. She won two World Cups, a gold medal, an NWSL Championship, an NWSL Shield, an NWSL Golden Boot, and so much more. But, what she leaves behind involves more than on-the-field accomplishments.
Morgan helped make women’s soccer a career kids can easily recognize. The NWSL began after Morgan started playing professional soccer and is the only league to last longer than three seasons.
Thanks to Morgan's efforts, it does not appear that growth will slow down any time soon.
