“You Earned It”- Reacting to Alex Morgan’s Retirement, Megan Rapinoe Says ‘Thank You’

Last year, when Megan Rapinoe announced her retirement, Alex Morgan casually said she had not thought about it yet. Of course, we thought Morgan’s career was far from its end. A year later, we are watching the clock to witness the USWNT megastar’s last dance in the San Diego Wave-NC Courage clash on Sunday. In a routine yet beautiful manner, the 35-year-old USWNT pals rushed in with emotional farewell messages from all sides. But Megan Rapinoe’s words on Morgan’s retirement stand out, for the two form one of the greatest strike partnerships modern football has ever seen.

Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan paired up in the USWNT front line for 13 years, winning two World Cups, and an Olympic gold together. A social media post won’t suffice for Rapinoe to cherish her memories with Morgan. But she summed up the San Diego Wave star’s spell-bounding career. “Alex, one of the best ever to do it. Congratulations on a world-changing title-winning career. There’s too much to say in this little space,” Megan Rapinoe wrote on Instagram stories, reacting to the USWNT’s post about Morgan’s retirement.

The Seattle Reign legend added, “More than anything, I just want to say thank you. You changed the game on and off the field, forever. Soak it all in, you’ve earned it.” Rapinoe also added her jersey number, 15, and Morgan’s, 13, and posted an infinity emoji. Rapinoe also shared a farewell video about her former teammate. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old also lauded fellow USWNT veteran Becky Sauerbrunn’s farewell note for Alex Morgan.

The legendary USWNT duo’s partnership transcends the boundaries of a soccer pitch. Both strikers have been towering figures in the USWNT and the NWSL’s fight for the betterment of player welfare.

Much of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe’s sensational battles have come off the field

The current generation of the NWSL players are celebrating their association’s landmark CBA signing with the league. This CBA has prioritized player welfare like no other. However, if it were’nt for the efforts of Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, it is quite dubious that women’s soccer would have been in such a better place. Rapinoe and Morgan were two of the five USWNT stars who filed a lawsuit against US Soccer’s pay discrimination in 2016. The duo has been at the epicenter of a subsequent six-year battle for equal pay, which found success in 2022.

As Megan Rapinoe retired last year, Alex Morgan remained the last person standing from the USWNT’s second golden generation. Many foresaw the era was reaching its climax when Morgan failed to make the USWNT’s Olympic roster. However, her announcement came during the NWSL season and is still a shocker for soccer fans. But as Rapinoe said, the two-time world champion has truly earned it. Her priority now is to soon welcome a sibling for her daughter Charlie.