Alex Morgan happy retiring with women's soccer in 'amazing place' - ESPN

United States women's national team great Alex Morgan said Friday that she's happy with her upcoming retirement after helping women's soccer land in «an amazing place.»

The San Diego Wave FC forward announced Thursday that Sunday's NWSL game against the North Carolina Courage will be the final match of her illustrious career, adding that she was expecting her second child.

«We're in good hands, the future of women's soccer, the now, the present and the future of women's soccer is in such an amazing place where I have done everything that I've needed to do,» Morgan said at a news conference Friday ahead of her farewell.

«To see those players step on the field and do work and be able to do it at such a young age with such voice and such confidence, that's what this is all about. That's why I'm so happy being here, saying yes, I'm retiring.»

A two-time World Cup champion and a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, Morgan said she also wants her legacy to be what she has helped accomplish away from the field.

Morgan was among five players in 2016 who filed a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for wage discrimination. The team went on to sue U.S. Soccer in 2019, citing inequitable pay and treatment compared to the men's national team. The lawsuit was settled and in 2022 the sides agreed to collective bargaining agreements that give the teams equal pay and benefits.

Morgan was also one of the key figures in bringing to light systemic abuse and misconduct in the NWSL in 2021, leading to the dismissal or resignation of five of the league's coaches and sparking an investigation.

«I had a responsibility, not only a responsibility to fight for equal pay, to fight for sports equity… to uplift and protect players, but