September 9 – Alex Morgan was only with the San Diego Wave for three years, but fans decked out in her No 13 jersey filled the Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday to see it retired.
Morgan, who won two World Cups, an Olympic gold, and scored 123 goals for the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT, built the Wave from expansion hopefuls into NWSL Shield winners, while also becoming an icon for mothers in the game by returning to the pitch after giving birth.
Sunday’s game ended in a 3-0 defeat to Houston, but Morgan had tears in here eyes for other reasons afterwards.
She said: “Three years may seem like a short period of time, but honestly these three years have been the most transformative… To the young girls and boys in the stadium…This wasn’t a possibility for 7-year-old Alex. I had a dream of playing soccer, but it wasn’t possible, and now it is.
“To see my time here in San Diego… it is kind of etched in history forever.” For her daughter, her son, and generations to come, that jersey is more than fabric. It’s proof that women’s football is no longer a dream, but a legacy.