Sports
Ranking the greatest moments of USWNT, NWSL star Alex Morgan’s career
Alex Morgan will be honored and have her jersey retired when the San Diego Wave host the Houston Dash on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN and ESPN+. Ahead of the ceremony, ESPN is republishing this list of her greatest career moments, which was originally published on Sept. 7, 2024. The original article is below.
U.S. women’s national team forward Alex Morgan’s incredible career will end Sunday when she plays her final match for San Diego Wave FC after announcing her retirement (and pregnancy) to the world Thursday.
Morgan’s career will go down among the most legendary in a long lineage of USWNT stars. She scored 123 international goals, which ranks fifth in U.S. history. She won two World Cups, earned Olympic gold and bronze medals and won professional championships in multiple leagues in addition to a Champions League title in Europe.
Despite that, her legacy off the field as an ally to players and advocate for equality is just as important.
Boiling down her career to only a few moments is a fool’s errand. But here are 13 moments — in honor of the number she wore for a generation — that defined her decade and a half playing at the highest level.
13. First international goal, 2010
Let’s start at the beginning of her senior career: Morgan’s first international goal came in only her third cap, just over six months after her USWNT debut in the famous “snow angels” game in Utah.
Her first goal, on Oct. 6, 2010, was a late equalizer against China to secure a 1-1 draw in a friendly. The timing of the goal, and the combination with Abby Wambach (who assisted) foreshadowed what was to come. Morgan had already scored the winning goal in the 2008 U-20 World Cup final, which led people to tab her for success at the senior level. This was the first proof point for that.
12. NWSL title, 2013
Morgan was originally allocated to the Portland Thorns FC, placing the game’s most popular player in what would quickly become one of the best women’s soccer markets in the world. The Thorns’ season was far from perfect, and Morgan endured a minor knee injury late in the campaign, but she returned in time to play in the final with a large knee brace on her left leg, and she assisted Christine Sinclair‘s stoppage-time insurance goal to clinch the inaugural NWSL championship.
Morgan’s time on the field in Portland wasn’t entirely glorious, but this moment was another professional title early in her career on the same field she won the first — the WPS championship with Western New York Flash in 2011 — in Rochester, New York.
11. Gold Cup return, 2024
Yes, Morgan’s 2024 will be defined by the heartbreak of being cut from the Olympics followed by an abrupt retirement, but the narrative looked a lot different only a few months before that. Morgan’s last hurrah with the USWNT served as a microcosm of her relentless competitiveness. Over the past two years, she has responded to numerous challenges to her place on the national team.
Morgan had not scored a goal for the USWNT in nearly a year, including a 2023 World Cup that went horribly for almost every U.S. player, knocked out in the round of 16. The U.S. was in a time of transition while awaiting the arrival of new coach Emma Hayes, and Morgan was dropped ahead of the Concacaf W Gold Cup, a sign that the end of a glittering international career was near.
But Mia Fishel tore her ACL the day before the opening match, and Morgan packed her bag to drive a few hours and rejoin the team. She came off the bench in the opener against Dominican Republic and buried a late penalty for her first goal in 363 days, reestablishing herself as the team’s No. 9 at that tournament.
10. First pro goal, 2011
Morgan was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 WPS draft, the star college player who was brought in to play alongside legends Marta, Christine Sinclair and Caroline Seger.
Morgan scored her first professional goal on May 1, 2011, only three games into her career with the Flash (the video of this appears to be lost to the internet.)
Morgan helped the Flash win the 2011 WPS title, the last trophy ever lifted in the fledgling league. Among the video that still exists from that season is an audacious goal she scored in Boston.
9. Loan to Lyon, 2017
Lost in the shuffle of Morgan’s domestic and international career is her status as a Champions League winner.
Morgan joined Lyon in January 2017 and spent half a season there, getting her first taste of European club soccer. Her stint with Lyon was brief, and she was subbed out of the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain early because of a hamstring injury, but she still added the European crown to her list of honors.
Equally important, Morgan made the move to Lyon to improve and mature her game in a less comfortable setting.
“My motivation is pretty simple,” she said in a Players’ Tribune story at the time. “I hope that this change will help push my game to another level. I hope that training with these incredible athletes each day, and learning a unique style of play, is exactly what I need, and that it will help me find that next gear.”
She returned to the NWSL to have one of her best stretches of play to date, helping the Orlando Pride — the franchise that effectively made acquiring Morgan from Portland a condition of its 2015 NWSL launch — make the playoffs for the first time. The jaunt to Europe helped Morgan add nuance to her game, which was beneficial in the years that followed.
8. USWNT goal No. 100, 2019
Morgan’s 100th international tally (watch here) came against Australia in an important friendly ahead of the 2019 World Cup. She became just the seventh U.S. woman to reach the 100-goal mark.
It’s an arbitrary number to some degree, sure, but it is a good benchmark for the truly elite of the program. By this point, Morgan was already in that conversation. Statistically, this further affirmed that.
7. Returning from maternity leave to win bronze, 2021
Morgan gave birth to her first child, daughter Charlie, in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. By November, Morgan made her debut with Tottenham Hotspur in England on a brief stint aimed at getting her back to match fit.
The pandemic delayed the Olympics to summer 2021, giving Morgan a shot at another medal. She returned to the national team a few weeks after that debut with Tottenham, and she worked her way back into the lineup to help the USWNT win a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games.
6. Fighting back from injury to win World Cup, 2015
The 2015 World Cup didn’t exactly go as planned for Morgan because of a knee injury leading up to the tournament. But she managed to be fit enough to start by the end of it, and she scored once, in a round of 16 victory over Colombia that was not as comfortable as it should have been.
This was not a breakout World Cup for Morgan, nor a title that she served as the protagonist for, but it was the first of two World Cup trophies with her playing a central role.
5. Winning the NWSL Golden Boot, 2022
A valid criticism of Morgan’s game had been that she hadn’t put together a truly memorable club season as a professional. That changed emphatically in 2022, and allows Morgan to retire without much “yeah, but” about her club career.
Morgan scored 15 goals in 17 games for the San Diego Wave to win the NWSL Golden Boot and lift the Wave to the playoffs, a first for an NWSL expansion team. Among her standout performances was a four-goal beating of NJ/NY Gotham FC early in the season. She became only the third player to score four goals in an NWSL game.
Her league form commanded a recall to the USWNT for World Cup and Olympic qualifying in 2022, and the 2023 World Cup, just after it looked like the team might be moving on from her.
4. World Cup playoff goal, 2010
The 2011 World Cup was the catalyst of the USWNT’s current popularity, but the No. 1-ranked team in the world nearly didn’t qualify for the event. After a shocking upset loss to Mexico in qualifying, the U.S. had to play a two-leg playoff against Italy for the last of 16 spots in the tournament.
Morgan had only debuted for the U.S. the month prior, but she was already clutch. She scored deep into second-half stoppage time to give the Americans a crucial 1-0 aggregate lead ahead of the home leg the following week. The U.S. beat Italy 1-0 again outside of Chicago, and the Americans advanced.
Morgan’s goal in Padua, Italy, was scored in relative obscurity, well before the days of ubiquitous streaming. It is, however, one of many crucial tallies in the USWNT’s recent history. Without 2011, the team’s growth doesn’t follow. And without Morgan’s goal in Italy, there might not have been a 2011 World Cup for the USWNT.
3. World Cup final performance, 2011
This was the start of the wider world truly paying attention to Morgan. She came off the bench in a scoreless World Cup final to net the first goal (watch here) of the match against Japan after breaking free of Saki Kumagai, who was emerging as one of the world’s top defenders. Morgan jumped up from the ground to let out a scream after scoring.
A wild ending ensued, with the U.S. and Japan trading goals to finish 2-2 after 120 minutes before Japan prevailed in penalty kicks.
Everyone remembers the tea-sipping celebration because it was a badass moment of taunting in a World Cup semifinal. Morgan’s headed goal (watch here) served as the game winner — on her 30th birthday, and in Lyon, where she had played on loan. The goal was Morgan’s sixth of the tournament after another historic feat: she scored five goals in the USWNT’s 13-0 victory over Thailand, tying the single-game record for a player at a World Cup. Her efforts were largely overshadowed by Megan Rapinoe‘s heroics, as she won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for best player, but Morgan was integral to a second straight World Cup title for player and country. Morgan won the silver boot, finishing tied with Rapinoe on goals (six) and assists (three) but having played more minutes. “Ohhh, it’s in! Alex Morgan has done it!” Broadcaster Arlo White’s call met the epic moment of what was arguably her greatest match. Morgan met the moment with the game-winning goal in the 123rd minute to cement her stardom at Old Trafford, Manchester. The tally was the final blow of a 4-3 win with rival Canada in a bonkers match that would lead to a third straight Olympic gold medal for the Americans. The match and the goal are unforgettable lore in USWNT history. That year, Morgan had 28 goals and 21 assists, joining Mia Hamm (1998) as the only player to tally 20 or more of each in a single calendar year. This year — and this goal, in this game — marked the official arrival of Morgan as a bona fide star.
2. Silver Boot at the World Cup, 2019
1. Olympic semifinal game winner, 2012
Nearly every sports league, team and operation (including, ahem, media outlets) wants in on sports wagering revenue. Sponsorships. Partnerships. Advertising. It’s legal, after all.
Maybe it’s direct payments. Maybe it’s advertising dollars from increased viewership that come through bigger and bigger broadcast deals. Whatever the source, sports is awash in gambling cash.
Nothing comes for free, though, and on Thursday, the bill came due for the NBA.
Every other league can only look on and know that if there was ever a sure-bet, it’s that this won’t be the last time a parade of FBI and Department of Justice figures stage a news conference to detail a slew of indictments over unsavory behavior involving sports betting.
More than 30 people were arrested, including big shots such as Mr. Big Shot — Hall of Fame player and current Portland Trail Blazer coach Chauncey Billups. Meanwhile, officials kept citing the juicy involvement of La Cosa Nostra and New York crime families, including the Gambinos and Genovese.
Like a “Hollywood movie,” Ricky Patel of Homeland Securities Investigations said.
Try the veal, it’s the best in the city.
Gambling scandals are not new in sports — from the Black Sox to Tim Donaghy. However, the proliferation of legalized sports wagering, putting betting in everyone’s face, if not their phone, almost assuredly makes the games more susceptible.
The indictments contained fascinating high-tech details of underground poker games with X-ray card readers to help organized crime rig the action. And there were the alleged actions of Damon Jones, a former player and assistant coach who the feds say tipped off others about injuries the public didn’t yet know about.
One example: a certain unnamed Los Angeles Lakers star would be sitting out a Feb. 9, 2023, game against Milwaukee.
“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight,” the indictment alleges Jones texted a co-conspirator. “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”
One Laker who sat out that night to rest a sore left ankle? LeBron James. A source close to James told ESPN on Thursday that the star had no knowledge of information about his status being leaked. The Bucks won by nine, covering the -7.5 spread. DJones, presumably, ate.
“This is the insider trading scandal of the NBA,” FBI director Kash Patel said.
It is. And it is fair for fans to wonder exactly what they are watching. The indictment mostly hinges on players purposefully taking themselves out of games with injury to assure they hit the under on individual prop bets, but that still corrupts the competition.
The proliferation of legalized sports wagering allows criminal elements to place numerous small bets on the information (and hopefully not trigger suspicion) and cash in.
The fact that players and coaches on multimillion-dollar contracts could be susceptible — Rozier was playing on a four-year, $96.2-million contract — just adds to the concern. Good luck to college sports, where the NCAA is investigating 13 men’s basketball players at six schools in a betting scheme.
Now on Wednesday, the NCAA allowed all of its athletes to legally wager on professional sports.
Hey, what bad could happen?
Sports wagering may be a boon to the bottom line, but it comes with increased suspicion into everything. That includes, quite unfairly, athletes who just simply underperform or do get injured and thus cost some bettors money. Online harassment is off the charts.
As for the presence of Billups, he’s the shiny star that attracts attention. In one indictment a defendant referred to as “Co-Conspirator 8,” allegedly told a bettor that the Trail Blazers would be tanking and several of their best players would not be playing in a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls.
Co-Conspirator 8 is not named in the indictment, but the description of the playing and coaching career matches Billups.
In another indictment, Billups is alleged to have played in illegal poker games set up by New York organized crime. He was a famous “face card” used to attract an unwitting patsy who arrived at games with X-ray tables that can read cards face down and cameras on poker chip trays that can do the same.
The info would be sent to a remote location, then relayed back to the “quarterback” in the game who would then signal to the others involved which hand was most likely to win. The “fish” as they were known, never stood a chance. One guy lost $1.8 million, the feds said.
It will be interesting to find out how and why someone of Billups’ stature and financial security ($100 million in player earnings) would be involved in this. Still, the Trail Blazers were apparently going to tank regardless. And the fact an illegal poker game in New York or Miami might be less than reputable doesn’t seem like a huge surprise (caveat emptor), let alone threat to the general public.
So as bad as this is, it could have been a lot worse.
Yet that’s kind of the point. Unless every athlete and coach and official and trainer and so on, heeds the FBI warnings to steer clear of this stuff, then the next scandal is assuredly coming. Not only could it be worse, there’s a decent chance it will be.
Legalized sports wagering sure is good money.
It just doesn’t come cheap.
AFC Bournemouth have set a transfer fee for Chelsea and Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo, while Manchester United are considering a January move for Atlético Madrid‘s Conor Gallagher. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades
TOP STORIES
– Lionel Messi extends Inter Miami contract through 2028
– Rashford reveals previous Barça talks over Man United exit
– Arsenal prodigy Dowman, 15, agrees scholarship deal – sources
TRENDING RUMORS
– An offer worth in excess of £75m will be required to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, reports the Daily Mail. Interest is continuing to grow in the 25-year-old, with Chelsea believed to be keen on a move, while Liverpool as well as clubs in Europe’s top leagues would also be ready to compete to sign him. The Cherries are expected to resist offers for Semenyo in January as they look to turn down all approaches before next summer, following an impressive season which has seen him directly contribute to nine goals in eight Premier League matches.
– Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher is on Manchester United shortlist of midfielders to sign in the January transfer window, according to talkSPORT. The 25-year-old has made more than 60 appearances for the LaLiga club since joining them last year. since signing from Chelsea in 2024 for €40 million. However, while the Old Trafford hierarchy would prefer to secure a loan deal, talkSPORT reports that Atlético want to move him on permanently for a fee similar to the €40m they paid Chelsea for him. Meanwhile, Diario AS that Gallagher is being “more questioned all the time” at Atlético. The newspaper says the England midfielder “isn’t in his best moment” after the team’s performance dropped when Gallagher came off the bench in the 4-0 loss at Arsenal in midweek.
– Bayern Munich have made Crystal Palace‘s Marc Guéhi and Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck the top options in their search for a center-back, Florian Plettenberg reports. The Bundesliga champions are “fully involved in the race” for Guéhi, 25, with plans to challenge Real Madrid and Liverpool for his signature. They could also look to 25-year-old Schlotterbeck as a second reinforcement if both Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae leave the Allianz Arena, with Upamecano yet to agree to terms on a new contract. Meanwhile, Bild reports that AC Milan and Internazionale are keen on Bayern defender Kim. Both clubs are looking at a potential January move for the 28-year-old South Korea international, who has made just one start in the Bundesliga so far this season.
– Everton are keen on reuniting with Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison, according to TEAMtalk. The Toffees are believed to be prioritising a move to reinforce their forward line in the next transfer window, with hopes of landing an experienced Premier League forward. Richarlison has scored three goals in eight league games so far this season, but it is reported that Spurs would be open to letting the 28-year-old leave in 2026, with belief that both Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani would be ahead of him in the pecking order.
– Clubs in MLS are attentive to the situation of RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, according to Florian Plettenberg. Werner, 29, has played just one minute so far this season when coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 league win over Wolfsburg in September, and it looks as though the Bundesliga will look to part ways with him in January. Philipp Hinze reports that Werner is open to calling time on his spell in Germany, with Leipzig willing to accept an offer worth less than €1m.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Alex Kirkland looks at what the future might hold for Conor Gallagher at Atlético Madrid:
Conor Gallagher has never quite found his place at Atlético Madrid. Even if some of his qualities — above all his work-rate and energy — look tailor-made for a Diego Simeone team, the coach hasn’t appeared convinced by the midfielder, signed for €42m in 2024.
Gallagher has started just two of Atlético’s nine LaLiga games so far this season, with seven substitute appearances. Last year, in his debut campaign, he started 19 league games, and was introduced as a sub 13 times.
Simeone doesn’t often pick Gallagher in central midfield, in theory his best position. When he does play, he tends to feature out wide in a midfield four, often on the left. The coach prefers Pablo Barrios and Koke — both more creative, reliable passers, with better technique — in the middle, and now has options like Giuliano Simeone, Thiago Almada, Alex Baena and Nico González on the flanks.
Gallagher’s attitude is excellent, he’s popular with teammates and fans, and he is a useful impact player off the bench. But you wonder how long he’ll be happy with that role. A move back to the Premier League seems inevitable at some point. The only question is when it happens.
OTHER RUMORS
– AC Milan recently made an enquiry regarding Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. (Diario Sport)
– Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee plans to ask the club to let him leave in January. He has previously been linked with West Ham, as well as clubs in the Serie A. (Daily Mirror)
– An agreement has been reached between Arsenal and midfielder Max Dowman over scholarship terms. (The Athletic)
– Paris Saint-Germain center-back Willian Pacho has agreed terms regarding a new contract at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2030. (Nicolò Schira)
– Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade remains open to a switch to Bayern Munich. (Bild)
– Two clubs in the Serie A have been offered the opportunity to sign Real Madrid Endrick on loan. (Nicolò Schira)
– Borussia Dortmund are “optimistic” that forward Karim Adeyemi will sign a new contract, with talks currently ongoing. (Florian Plettenberg)
– LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Montreal are set to challenge Chelsea in the race for Randers FC forward Mohamed Toure. (TEAMtalk)
– Clubs in Europe could look to tempt Sao Paulo forward Lucca away in January. A release clause in his contract allows clubs from outside of Brazil to sign him for €80m. (Ekrem Konur)
– Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly is set to extend his stay with the club until the summer of 2027. (NIcolo Schira)
Sports
Blue Jays beat Dodgers in World Series Game 1, Shohei Ohtani hits first career Fall Classic homer
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The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 1 of the World Series Friday night at the Rogers Centre.
The Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead with runs in the second and third inning, but Toronto tied it up in the fourth with a two-run homer by Dalton Varsho.
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Then, the Blue Jays seemingly put the game away with a nine-run sixth inning, which included the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history by Toronto’s Addison Barger.
DODGERS ATTEMPT TO JOIN EXCLUSIVE MLB RANKS IN WORLD SERIES TITLE DEFENSE VS. BLUE JAYS
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts to striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning during Game 1 of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. (Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images)
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani then hit the first World Series home run of his career in the seventh, but it was too little too late for the Dodgers.
Ohtani was booed ahead of the game by Blue Jays fans.
By the ninth inning, the Toronto crowd broke into a unified chant, shouting, “we don’t need him!”
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Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Addison Barger (47) hits a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning during Game 1 of the 2025 MLB World Series at Rogers Centre. (Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images)
The Dodgers will look to even up the series on Saturday night, and will send Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman.
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