“Well, they better,” remarked tear-eyed Megan Rapinoe while demanding the US Soccer to do something special for retired Alex Morgan. It has been days since the USWNT icon hung up her boots, but there is still no update regarding her deserved farewell—until now, as US Soccer has something memorable cooking up for Morgan, which will be unveiled after they complete Kelly O’Hara’s fitting send-off.

In an official statement, US Soccer first shared the details regarding O’Hara’s farewell ceremony. The 2x World Cup winner will get a special tribute from fans and players during halftime of the USWNT vs. Iceland friendly clash, which is scheduled for October 27, 2024, at Nashville, Tennesse-based GEODIS Park. In fact, the USSF has also decided to sell the tickets for O’Hara’s farewell for just $16, in order to pay tribute to the 160 caps she achieved in the national setup.

Interestingly, while concluding the addressing of Kelly’s farewell ceremony, the progress over the plans for Morgan’s send-off was also shared. The official website said, “Plans are in the works to honor another USWNT legend, the recently retired Alex Morgan, at a USWNT match in the first part of 2025.” This means that the San Diego Waves icon will get her deserved farewell at the beginning of next year.

Giving O’Hara her separate farewell first is understandable, considering the former defender announced this would be her final season with NJ/NY Gotham on May 2. Sadly, the NWSL announced on September 21 that she had been placed on their season-ending injury list. While she had eventually played her final game for Gotham on September 8, during a 2-1 win over the Houston Dash, a final gig with USWNT remained a dream.

Hence, the USSF decided to pay tribute to the Peachtree City, Georgia-born defender. Meanwhile, regarding Morgan, fans will still have to play the waiting game. But why exactly there is such a delay in her send-off?

Breaking the reasons why Alex Morgan will get a farewell from US Soccer and USWNT in 2025

Alex Morgan getting her deserved sent-off in 2025 surely comes as a surprise, considering there are many international windows that USWNT will be reuniting for. In the month of October, the American ladies will be facing Iceland on two occasions, October 25th, and October 28th, as well as Argentina on October 31st. Then a friendly at Wembley has been planned against England.

While giving Morgan a farewell in Emma Hayes’ home country is surely out of the picture, they might have given it during the second fixture against New Zealand, considering the first one is booked for Kelly O’Hara. Likewise, another option was also on the table while facing Argentina at Louisville, Kentucky-based Lynn Family Stadium. Yet, the USSF decided to schedule her farewell to next year’s friendly window.

More than the absence of the USWNT icon from Emma Hayes’ Paris Olympics roster, it was the decision to retire that shocked the soccer world. But Morgan eventually called it quits by playing her final game for San Diego Waves for 13th minutes. While closure is yet to be received from the USWNT, let’s see what the US Soccer has planned for Alex.