CHESTER, Pa. – In the words of U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Emma Hayes, there’s nothing that Alex Morgan didn’t achieve.
Two FIFA Women’s World Cup titles, an Olympic gold medal, fifth all-time in USWNT scoring, a distinguished legacy to her name, Morgan will go down in history as one of the all-time greats for the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Morgan, who retired from soccer last fall, will be celebrated for her remarkable accomplishments and illustrious career prior to the upcoming U.S. Women’s National Team match against Portugal on Thursday, Oct. 23. The pre-match celebration has garnered excitement from U.S. players present and past, including Abby Wambach. The program’s all-time leading scorer assisted Morgan’s first-ever USWNT goal, which also came in Chester, Pennsylvania, and will be in attendance Thursday to show her support.
Like Wambach, the current roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team is ready to give Morgan her flowers. The 14-year international, who finished with 224 caps for the U.S., has left an indelible legacy on soccer fans everywhere, which includes some of her former teammates:
As the captain and most capped player on the camp roster, Lindsey Heaps spent the most time with Morgan on the pitch. The two appeared in 117 matches together for the U.S. Women’s National Team and combined to contribute six goals, including Morgan’s “tea-sipping” goal in the semifinal against England in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Heaps was the player who sent a beautiful cross into the box to set up Morgan’s flying, graceful header – and iconic celebration.
“Stepping into this National Team and seeing what she's done prior on the field and off the field, and the role model that she's become and what she stands for with U.S. Soccer, she's taken on the job of being the face of our National Team for so long but fought for so many things for us and made our lives easier growing up on this team. She’s been such a crucial person in the team itself.
“Individually, I had the pleasure of being co-captains with her in the 2023 World Cup, and I think I got to see more ins and outs of what it takes to be that kind of player for this team. I'm very grateful for her and everything she’s done for this team. It’s very cool we get to celebrate her.”
She’s earned 38 caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team entering October, though sometimes it feels like Sam Coffey has been around for much longer. For a while, Coffey was simply an admirer of Morgan and had a poster of the USWNT legend hanging up inside her childhood bedroom.
“I grew up watching her. Every young girl growing up and playing is like, ‘I love Alex Morgan.’ I had a poster of her on my wall. I had to take it down too recently...but she’s an incredible player and an incredible person. She's done so much for the women's game. She deserves all the flowers in the world, and it's really exciting to be a part of the game that we get to honor her at. I feel really grateful that I've been able to be her teammate, too. I've learned so much from her, both on and off the field.”
The Portland Thorns FC midfielder faced Morgan in the NWSL, and the two appeared in 12 international matches together as U.S. teammates.
“She’s like a hero for all of us and is someone that epitomizes what it means to leave something better than you found it.”
Like Heaps, Rose Lavelle was part of a championship roster with Morgan in 2019. Back then, Lavelle was a Washington Spirit midfielder and a rising star in the National Team program. Meanwhile, Morgan was a holdover from the squad looking to defend the United States' trophy from the 2015 FIFA World Cup.
“Alex has influenced my career so much, on and off the field. What she's done and continues to do for women’s sports in general has been huge. We have all benefited greatly from that, and hopefully we can continue to pass on that legacy in the same way. Huge shoes to fill.”
The pair have linked up a total of four times, two goals for Lavelle and two goals for Morgan, including a World Cup goal for Lavelle in the group stage en route to the U.S. winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“On the field, she and all of these players that have been retiring recently, that’s who taught us how to be excellent in this environment, and that’s what we consistently try to match and uphold. It’s the reason that this program has been in such a good spot is because of that legacy on the field that they have all left. She’s taught me so much, and now being in a position where I'm now a veteran leader, having her to look up to and learn from leading up to this moment has really been huge and has put all of us in a better position to be the best versions of ourselves.”
Although their time together was brief – Morgan played just once under Hayes, a match against Korea Republic on June 4, 2024, in Hayes’ second official match in charge – Hayes has been entrenched in the sport for decades. The London native has a strong understanding of the impact Morgan has had beyond the United States and across the globe.
“There was nothing she didn't achieve. She was a player that epitomized everything this program is about. She's an unbelievable credit to her family because her drive, her desire, her determination to prove herself at the highest level is second to none. You can't go anywhere in this country without them talking about Alex Morgan, and I think the sport should show a lot of gratitude to that because it's important for our players to be recognizable and she is, without question in recent times, one of the most recognizable faces in our sport.
“I love this tradition when we honor our players in retirement. I know the fans will be coming out, not just to support us, but absolutely to acknowledge what a wonderful career she had. She had so many telling moments that were difference-making moments in her career and the impact she's had on this team is immeasurable.”
