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in the 13th minute of the game, the san diego waves scored a goal. just as the opponent was about to kick off in the midfield, the game was suspended. alex morgan, a heat wave player wearing the no. 13 jersey, hugged her teammates tightly, then slowly walked to the sidelines, took off her shoes, and walked off the court surrounded by her own and opponent players and cheered by the audience.

this happened on the morning of september 9th, beijing time, during the match between the san diego waves of the national women's soccer league (nwsl) and the north carolina courage at home. the 35-year-old morgan ended her career.

morgan blew kisses to the audience with tears in his eyes as he walked off the court. some spectators held up signs that read "we grow with you, thank you!" to pay tribute to morgan.

"it's been a wonderful journey!" after the game, morgan thanked her teammates, family and fans for their support. she said emotionally: "together, you have helped me become the best football player, the best mother, and the best person."

morgan's retirement was somewhat sudden. on the evening of september 5th, beijing time, she announced through social media that she and her husband were preparing to have their second child and that she would retire after the game between the waves and the courage. subsequently, the u.s. women's soccer team also announced the news on its official social media account and sent morgan their best wishes.

morgan, who celebrated her 35th birthday in july this year, is one of the legendary stars of the us women's football team. during her 15-year professional career, morgan played 224 times for the us women's football team and scored 123 goals, making her the fifth-highest scorer in the history of the us women's football team. morgan won the women's world cup twice with the us team in 2015 and 2019, as well as the gold medal at the 2012 london olympics. in the summer of 2019 in france, morgan tied for first place in the world cup scorer list with 6 goals.

in terms of clubs, morgan has played for domestic clubs in the united states most of the time. during her short time with the french ligue 1 lyon women's football team in 2017, she helped the team win the "treble" of ligue 1, french cup and champions league that season.

morgan is also a fan favorite with her outstanding appearance. in 2015, morgan became the first female football player to appear on the cover of the game "fifa".

because of this, 26,000 spectators flocked to the scene to watch morgan's "last dance". espn and other television media and internet streaming media also broadcast the game. nwsl president jessica pullman said: "this is the power of morgan. she has an extraordinary influence both on and off the court."

morgan has also made plans for her future. she said after the retirement game: "i have done everything i wanted to do. i am very calm now because i am ready to run a family and help the next generation thrive."

donovan, the interim coach of the waves, was a little sad. he told espn: "i am very sad that morgan has left. there will not be another morgan."

source: beijing sports

reporter: zhao xiaosong