Alex Morgan retires from professional soccer and is expecting her second child

Over the course of a career that included two women's World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal, Alex Morgan elevated the women's game through her play on the field and activism off it.

The 35-year-old Morgan, who said she is pregnant with her second child, announced on Thursday that she is retiring from soccer after a 15-year career. She was near tears in a video posted to social media.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer,” she said. “Soccer has been a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Morgan will play her final match with her club team, the San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League, on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

In addition to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Morgan also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 London Olympics and a bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Early in her career, she was known by the nickname Baby Horse, a moniker given to her by teammates because of her long strides. One of her most memorable goals came in London, the game-winner in extra time against Canada that put the United States into the Olympic final. A year earlier, she scored in the World Cup final against Japan.

At the 2019 World Cup, Morgan scored the deciding goal in a 2-1 semifinal victory over England, which she celebrated by pretending to sip tea.

Morgan played in 224 matches for the national team, ninth-all time, with 123 goals (fifth all-time) and 53 assists (ninth all-time). She was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2012 and 2018.

Along the way, Morgan arguably became one of the most recognizable athletes in the United States. She has had partnerships with such companies as Coca-Cola, Chipotle, Google and Nike, and in 2022 was designated the most-endorsed female athlete by SponsorsUnited, which tracks sponsorship deals globally.

“Don't think many people will ever understand the weight you carried with you being the face of this team and women's football in general,” U.S. captain Lindsey Horan said in a tribute to Morgan on Instagram. “You made the game better for so many little ones looking up to you and what an incredible career on top of it.”

Her last game with the United States came on June 4, 2024, against South Korea. She was left off the roster that new coach Emma Hayes selected for this year's Paris Olympics.

Known as much for her activism as her play, 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.

“Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all, and I did just that,” Morgan said. “I'm giving my all every single day on the field, and I did that giving my all in the relentless push for investment in women's sports, because we deserve that.”

Morgan has played for the Wave since 2022. A founding player in the NWSL, she also had stints with the Portland Thorns and the Orlando Pride during her career. In 2022, she was the league's Golden Boot winner for most goals. She also spent time internationally with Lyon and Tottenham.

Morgan was one of the key figures in bringing to light the NWSL abuse scandal in 2021, which led to the dismissal or resignation of five of the leagues coaches and sparked an investigation that found systemic abuse and misconduct.

Morgan was instrumental in rallying fellow players to demand the NWSL adopt an anti-harassment policy and the reforms she advocated for improved working conditions across the league. She also served on the bargaining committee for the latest collective bargaining agreement with NWSL players announced last month.

“Alex’s legacy is one that will endure for generations, not only in the records, awards and trophies she has earned, but in the countless lives she has touched along the way," NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said.

Morgan and her husband Servando Carrasco have a daughter, Charlie, who was born in 2020.

“Charlie came up to me the other day and said that when she grows up, she wants to be a soccer player,” Morgan said. “It just made me immensely proud, not because I wish for her to become a soccer player when she grows up, but because a pathway exists that even a 4-year-old can see now. We're changing lives and the impact we have on the next generation is irreversible and I'm proud in the hand I had in making that happen, in pushing the game forward and leaving it in a place that I'm so happy and proud of.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - United States' Alex Morgan plays against Canada during a SheBelieves Cup women's soccer match Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE - United States' Alex Morgan, above, collides with Canada's Vanessa Gilles during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup women's soccer tournament semifinal match, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FILE - Alex Morgan, a member of the United States women's national soccer team, speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York, Friday, May 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan, left, controls the ball as OL Reign defender Lauren Barnes defends during the second half of an NWSL semifinal playoff soccer match Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan (13) runs during an NWSL soccer match against Seattle Reign, Friday, March 29, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

FILE - United States national women's soccer team player Alex Morgan talks to reporters before a practice to prepare for a friendly match against South Korea, Friday, May 31, 2024, in Commerce City, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

FILE - United States' Alex Morgan holds the trophy celebrating at the end of the Women's World Cup final soccer match between U.S. and The Netherlands at the Stade de Lyon in Decines, outside Lyon, France, Sunday, July 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

FILE - United States' Megan Rapinoe, right, congratulates teammate Alex Morgan after scoring her fifth goal during the Women's World Cup Group F soccer match between the United States and Thailand at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, Tuesday, June 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - United States' Alex Morgan is draped in the U.S. flag as she waves to fans after the U.S. beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Sunday, July 5, 2015. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

UConn coach Geno Auriemma moved into a tie with Tara VanDerveer for the most appearances with one school in the women’s basketball AP Top 25 as the Huskies remained seventh in the poll Monday.

Auriemma has now led UConn to 627 appearances in the poll in his 40 years at the school, matching VanDerveer’s mark at Stanford before her retirement. She also had Ohio State ranked 27 times when the Hall of Fame coach was in charge of that school before joining the Cardinal and holds the overall record by a coach for appearances in the poll.

Auriemma passed VanDerveer’s NCAA record career win total earlier in the season and has 1,224 victories now after his team routed Providence on Sunday.

After a week where many schools played only a single game, UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams and the first 18 schools were unchanged. The Bruins, Gamecocks and Irish all had routs in their lone games of the week, winning by an average of nearly 41 points. Every school in the country was off last week until Friday — a chance to recharge for the three-month sprint to the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. South Carolina and Notre Dame each garnered one. USC, Texas and LSU followed Notre Dame. Maryland was eighth, finally putting away Michigan State to remain unbeaten with the 72-66 victory on Sunday.

Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the first 10 teams. The Sooners have a busy week ahead with games against rival Texas and No. 15 Tennessee on the road. It's the first SEC road test for Oklahoma and could prove to be a high-scoring game.

Michigan State dropped two spots to No. 21 after falling to Maryland, which moved Alabama and California both up a spot. Michigan's loss at USC dropped the Wolverines one place to 24th with Iowa moving up to 23rd.

South Carolina extended its home winning streak to 65 games with a victory over Wofford on Sunday. The Gamecocks are four victories short of making the top five all-time home streaks. Baylor, UConn and Tennessee all won 69 straight games at home to tie for the fourth longest all-time in Division I history. The Huskies hold the top two marks with 99 and 98-game runs. Stanford is third (82).

The Southeastern Conference finished off 2024 with eight teams in the poll for the second consecutive week to lead the way. The Big Ten is next with seven. The ACC has six while the Big 12 has three and the Big East one.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

UConn guard Kaitlyn Chen, left, talks with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, right, in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Southern California, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)