Alex Morgan's legacy in San Diego is just beginning
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After retiring from soccer, Alex Morgan will focus on supporting girls through her foundation. Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
When U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan joined the San Diego Wave in 2021, she committed to building up the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club, finishing her career here and investing in the city she calls home.
Why it matters: Four years later, the Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Cup champion has cemented her legacy on the team, as a player and investor, and is now building her next phase in San Diego, off the pitch.
Driving the news: The Wave is retiring Morgan's jersey at its game against the Houston Dash on Sunday, making her just the third NWSL player to receive that honor.
- City buildings will be lit with Wave colors all weekend, a new mural was painted in North Park, and her No. 13 jersey will be unveiled at Snapdragon Stadium in a post-match ceremony.
- With more than 100 family and friends coming to Sunday's game, it's "another chance to be able to celebrate and enjoy and honor this city," she told Axios.
- The celebration comes one year after she announced her retirement, her pregnancy and the final game of a career in which she became the face of American soccer for a generation and one of the most successful players in U.S. soccer history.
The big picture: During her career, Morgan fought for gender equity, equal pay, NWSL players' rights, and accountability for abuse. She's also brought visibility and solutions to the challenges moms face as professional athletes.
- With her playing days behind her, she's supporting women in San Diego through the Alex Morgan Foundation, which launched in 2023.
- With the foundation, Morgan is focused on creating opportunities for girls through sports, building confidence and self-esteem and helping new moms "in the way that our current government doesn't," she told Axios.
Zoom in: Morgan partnered with Rady Children's Hospital to create the Confident Closet at the Chadwick Center for Children & Families to give kids who've gone through trauma at home new clothes, shoes and other items.
- Morgan also fuels the Let's Go South Bay! girls empowerment camps that bring about 50 girls to Southwestern College for a weeklong soccer camp at no cost to them.
- She's helped fund childcare services and open mini sport courts at local YMCAs, creating safe places for kids to play in their neighborhoods.
- "Alex has been unusual from all of our other pro sports partnerships," Mission Valley YMCA executive director Rob Sauvajot said. "We have a player now who's an advocate for kids."
Between the lines: With Morgan's husband, Servando Carrasco, being from San Diego, they moved here knowing this was their forever home for their daughter, Charlie, and future kids.
- "I made a commitment to not only the club, but the city," Morgan said. "I was moving to San Diego to be a San Diegan."
- Creating her foundation was more than working on issues she's passionate about, it was about her saying "what am I going to give back to my home."
Zoom out: A lot of athletes come through cities and try to put their stamp on it, on and off the field, Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan told Axios.
- But Morgan's impact is unique in that it "outstretches just what she touches. It expects more from more people. It sets a standard," she said.
- The club will look to continue Morgan's legacy, Sheridan said. "Everything that she's done in her career has kind of been a starting point."