Moving the Goalposts | Alex Morgan leaves sound of success behind and US women’s football in better place

One hundred and twenty-three goals in 224 appearances for the US women’s national team. Two World Cup wins. A gold medal, a bronze medal, a three-time Olympian. A National Women’s Soccer League champion. A relentless advocate for the growth of the game. Alex Morgan retired from professional football this past weekend in San Diego, California as one of the most successful players ever to lace up her boots. She leaves a multifaceted legacy behind her. One of its greatest aspects is the excitement she uniquely inspired, and her ability to leverage it for broader growth.

In a decade when the popularity of women’s football skyrocketed globally, Morgan was often its key name. Stateside, every stadium Morgan played in drew enormous crowds. Upon her arrival, those elated crowds were decked out in Morgan gear, carrying AM13 signs and shrieking with joy at her every movement. It was like watching the Beatles swing through town. Morgan-mania was for real.

I remember watching her play in person for various NWSL clubs, as well as for the USWNT over the years. There was no comparable pandemonium in her time. In some ways, Morgan-mania made your job easier. The crowd always let you know where she was. If for some reason she didn’t start the game, you’d know she was coming on when you heard screams from the corner where she warmed up. Often, Morgan delivered incredible theatrics to thank the crowd.

One of the last times I saw the 35-year-old striker from Diamond Bar, California play was at this year’s NWSL Challenge Cup. It was 15 March, one week before the new NWSL season – which would be Morgan’s last – and she’d just won the W Gold Cup with the US days before.

The stadium at Red Bull Arena was in a festive mood, ready to welcome their reigning champions, Gotham FC, into a new year. More than 14,000 fans filled the arena marking the second highest attendance in Gotham’s history, which comes after the 15,058 record set the previous season, also against Morgan’s San Diego Wave.

Morgan didn’t start the match but sure enough, everywhere she went to warm up, the stands behind her went berserk. When she subbed in for the second half, there was a raucous roar. In the 88th minute, Morgan broke the stalemate, heading home the winner off Savannah McCaskill’s corner. Gotham fans were disappointed, but the unmistakable joy of Morgan’s fans in the arena filled the air.

A month later I watched from a different perch, this time in Ohio, as Morgan ran out to play for the national team against Canada in the SheBelieves Cup final. In a crowded lineup of elite footballers and ascendant stars, the Morgan-mania maintained its cacophonous tear. Before the game began, as Morgan migrated from one corner to the other, I couldn’t help but note as a section of young fans reached new decibels when she graced their side of the pitch.

There’s an enormous pressure that pairs with that pandemonium. Morgan always seemed to wear her responsibilities with grace. While tasked with being the marketing plug at club and international level, she delivered the goals and the glory, winning trophy upon trophy for fans. Off the pitch, she leveraged that success to advocate for higher standards in the game.

Morgan announced her retirement last week alongside the news that she’s pregnant with her second child. Days later, Morgan’s four-year-old daughter Charlie walked her out for her last game. One last adoring crowd of 26,516 fans filled Snapdragon Stadium to send her off. Teammates did the infamous tea-sipping pose for their pre-match photo, a nod to Morgan’s celebration after scoring against England in the 2019 World Cup.

She played 13 minutes, an ode to the No 13 jersey she made famous, then left the field where she demanded the world’s attention with her relentless success, with tears in her eyes, and the game in a better place.

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