Surely American soccer has passed on to another era. While sensations like Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and others have taken it by storm for the past couple of years, icons like Ali Krieger, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan have called it quits. However, it’s time for soccer lovers to say an emotional goodbye to Kelley O’Hara.

While the expectation was to see through her till the end of the season, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist had to follow in the footsteps of Morgan. Hence, she has also received an emotional reaction from the former San Diego Wave star.

Having played her last game on September 8, O’Hara recently posted the news of her exit on Instagram with the caption, “Rode it ‘til the wheels came off 🤠 See you on Oct 20th!” However, the post also had one picture of Morgan’s message to her that read, “Call Me so we can cry together?” The text from the former USWNT striker was a response to a post that astonishingly revealed that both started their careers in the same month and ended on the same day.

September 8th was Morgan’s last game day too. She played just for 13 minutes against the North Carolina Courage after announcing her retirement in the middle of the season due to her pregnancy. However, O’Hara was supposed to be a part of the 2023 Champions’ race for another title till the end but has been moved to the team’s season-ending injury list. The 36-year-old had suffered from multiple issues over the last three and half years, including knee, ankle, hip, and quadriceps.

Earlier in May, she revealed this NWSL season would conclude her stellar career in the beautiful game. But the latest chronic knee degeneration has called for an early retirement. The club will give her a well-deserved send-off in their last home match on October 20, at the Red Bull Arena.

However, despite being a defender, her winning mentality doesn’t go any less than Morgan’s.

Kelley O’Hara’s similarity with Morgan is way beyond retirement dates

While US Soccer and the fans worldwide celebrated Alex Morgan’s career, a player from the same era having a similar impact is going away. Kelley O’Hara’s ability to win big has been iconic for USWNT and Washington Spirit. She started her career by winning the WPS title in 2010 with her second club, FC Gold Pride. After debuting for the USWNT in March 2010, just like Morgan, she went on to help the team win the 2012 Olympic gold playing all the games. But more importantly, she provided some crucial moments for her team.

While Morgan famously scored in the semifinal of the 2012 Games in London, the Gotham FC defender did the same in the 2015 World Cup semifinals against Germany. More importantly, her match-winning contribution came in the 2019 World Cup when she assisted Christen Press against England to help the USA reach the final. She also led the Washington Spirit 2021 NWSL Championship triumph with a stoppage-time goal.

It’s amazing to see a regular right-back prove pivotal in professional soccer. And while both the legends were used to providing some clutch moments, USWNT and the NSWL will experience a void in their absence.