The Albany Gazette - Soccer great Morgan bids farewell in final match

The 35-year-old striker, who announced her decision to hang up her boots on Thursday after also revealing she was pregnant with her second child, played the first 13 minutes of the San Diego Wave's National Women's Soccer League match against the North Carolina Courage in California.

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 center-forward for her final game as a professional.

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 fairytale farewell didn't quite follow the script, however, with Morgan seeing a 10th-minute penalty attempt saved just seconds before San Diego equalized through Kennedy Wesley.

That goal was the cue for Morgan to be substituted in the 13th minute -- reflecting her jersey number -- and she blew kisses to all corners of the ground and hugged each of her teammates before leaving the field to repeated chants of "Alex Morgan."

- 'No tears, yet' -

Speaking before the game, Morgan said she had managed to keep her emotions in check as she readied for the end of her career.

"I'm feeling really good, no tears, yet," she told CBS Sports in a pre-game interview.

"Just been filled with a lot of time with family this morning, just really trying to enjoy every moment. My teammates and everyone continue to surprise me every moment and every time I turn and look. It's just incredible.

"I never expected to have this much of a kind of surprise and like overwhelming feeling of just positive support.

"I've been smiling a lot these last few days, because just keeping in the retirement and the pregnancy for so long was just really difficult not to share with people and everything is so much better together.

"The reason I am where I am today and who I am is because of so many people that just impacted me for the better."

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 title runs, and became 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.

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.

(B.Ramirez--TAG)