The hard pill must be swallowed. Alex Morgan won’t be seen kicking the soccer ball anymore as the USWNT icon announced her retirement today. The decision came after she also shared her second pregnancy just a month before being snubbed by Emma Hayes for the Paris Olympics. As heartfelt tribute continues to pour in, Morgan’s former teammate Sydney Leroux takes a walk down memory lane, reflecting on 16 years of their friendship.

It hasn’t always been like that though. While both have shared locker rooms during their stints at Seattle Sounders Women and Orlando Pride, as well as on the international front, they were mostly domestic rivals. Yet, love and friendship were never affected even the slightest of all. “My favorite memories are mostly off the field and some of those pictures will be in the archives forever for the both of us,” wrote Leroux in a lengthy caption below a carousal of never-before-seen pictures and videos on Instagram.

Reflecting on her friendship as old as their teammates, the Canadian-born American forward reminisced the story that dates back to the 2008 U20 World Cup in Mexico. Sydney narrated how she got a dog which she kept alongside Morgan in their hotel room, bathing it. Hilariously, both thought that the dog was blind, but only later when they found out it was just born. The more hilarity of this tale is that both players thought the dog was “most definitely a wolf,” while Leroux assumed it was a Chihuahua.

Describing Alex as a ‘true friend,’ the Angel City star heaped praise over her illustrious career. “You have done everything that you have set out to do Al and I’m so proud of you. Proud to be your friend, your teammate, and a mom friend x2 now!!! What a journey you’ve had. What an unbelievable career and congratulations to Baby Horse who now is a mare. 😭🤣 You changed the game forever,” she added.

Interestingly, Leroux then mentioned a decade-long wager that she had won over Morgan: “(There is one thing that I’ve been holding on to though that I’ve really been struggling with. You owe me cowboy boots because UCLA beat Cal 37-10 in 2013 and we had a bet),” However, smoothly sliding from the topic of bet, the 34-year-old concluded, “Anyways, love you, hand hug forever and you did it. Congratulations. ❤️”

Already, Morgan is trying to hold up her feelings after announcing her retirement and we’re sure that reading this tribute will surely bring tears to her eyes. But one continues to wonder exactly why she decided to call it quits.

Why did Alex Morgan decide to retire?

In the 4:30-minute video announcing her retirement from professional soccer, Alex Morgan shared her thoughts and emotions behind the decision. While acknowledging that the call was made with much clarity and rather feels happy to make it public, she said, “It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy but at the beginning of 2024 I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer.”

The 35-year-old also revealed that she is expecting her second child, a factor that likely influenced her choice. However, fans couldn’t help but wonder if Emma Hayes’ decision to move forward with a younger squad played a role as well. For the first time in three editions, Morgan was left out of the Olympic team, which left her disappointed. With the national team’s prospects uncertain, her club career also seemed to be heading in the same direction.

At last, what truly was the reason remains unknown as this isn’t also the first time she got pregnant during her career. Regardless, fans can do nothing but respect her decision.