SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Alex Morgan jerseys filled the concourses and seats of Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, with the iconic No. 13 of every era — from the United States’ red, white and blue, to the San Diego Wave’s navy and pink — on the backs of fans.
But the No. 13 jersey that everyone was there to see wasn’t worn by anyone — and it will never again be worn by another Wave player.
The Wave retired Morgan’s No. 13 after the match on Sunday, and presented the USWNT legend with a framed jersey moments after the team’s 3-0 loss to the Houston Dash.
“I’m going to try to keep it together,” said Morgan as she held back tears. “Thank you for so many moments in my career. Three years may seem like a short period of time, but honestly these three years have been the most transformative. From building the club from the ground up, to making the playoffs to winning the Shield in the second season and winning the Challenge Cup in the third season and breaking the record for NWSL attendance.
“To the fans, oh we have been through it. The ebbs and flows, the highs and lows, there’s just something about sports that brings people together. We did it all and I just applaud you showing up every single day. That’s why I showed up. To the young girls and boys in the stadium, this wasn’t a possibility for seven-year-old Alex. I had a dream of playing soccer, but it wasn’t possible and now it is. So thank you so much to you, it means everything.”
About 100 of Morgan’s family and friends were in attendance for Sunday’s match and ceremony, including some former teammates like Tobin Heath.
“To see my time here in San Diego, and that it did make as much of an impact as it did in order to get [No. 13] retired, there was a lot of sweat and tears and just ebbs and flows in that jersey with No. 13,” Morgan told ESPN prior to the ceremony. “To be able to now see it up in the rafters and to go see it with my family, for my daughter and son to know that I was a part of this team, the beginning of it, and that it is kind of etched in history forever, it will be a great story for them as well.”
The Wave commemorated the jersey retirement — a rare honor in soccer by handing out pink headbands — by giving out pink headbands, a look that Morgan made iconic, to fans. There was also a huge “No. 13” structure wrapped in pink pre-wrap which Morgan used to roll up to make her headbands.
Pinned to the pink No. 13 structure were messages from fans that ranged from children with nearly illegible handwriting to extensive notes from moms inspired by Morgan, who continued playing after giving birth to her first child in 2020. Fans held signs thanking Morgan and proclaiming things like 3,000-mile journeys from Maine for Sunday’s occasion.
Morgan retired last year after nearly a 15-year career. She simultaneously announced that she was pregnant with her second child. In May, she bought an ownership stake in the Wave.
Morgan is a two-time World Cup winner and an Olympic champion who scored 123 international goals, fifth most in USWNT history.
She was a “nomad” during her career, as she described it on Sunday. Morgan played for seven professional clubs on two different continents in addition to several semi-professional teams during her career. She won championships in two different U.S. professional leagues and a UEFA Champions League title.