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Alex Morgan’s final game on Sunday was a showcase of the legacy she leaves behind after a storied 14-year career, one in which her on-field accomplishments were matched by her relentless advocacy for women’s sports.

The day was a spectacle laden with tributes across the NWSL and on site at Snapdragon Stadium, where she started for the San Diego Wave in their regular season clash against the North Carolina Courage. The praise was just the first part of a sendoff worthy of a player of Morgan’s stature, who lived up to her promise as American soccer’s most hyped youth prospect and leveraged her on-field success by pushing women’s soccer — and the NWSL in particular — forward.

Morgan was partnered not just by her teammates on Sunday but also by her four-year-old daughter Charlie, who has become a constant companion in the latter stages of her career as the two-time World Cup winner became an advocate for mothers in sport. The 35-year-old also played her final game while pregnant with her second child.

Here are the sights and sounds from Morgan’s final match.

A family matter

Morgan arrived at Snapdragon Stadium in a familiar fashion, holding hands with her daughter Charlie. The World Cup winner rocked a green three-piece suit, a ribbon in her hair with the print of a soccer ball and a soccer ball bag, sold by Kate Spade New York. Charlie wore the Wave’s 2024 home kit with her mother’s name and number, which served her well as she walked onto the pitch with Morgan for the pre-game festivities.

Tributes on arrival

The rest of the league joined in with tributes with videos coming in from some of the league’s top players, including former national team colleagues like Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, the latter of whom said, “We wouldn’t be here without you.”

Morgan’s teammates at the Wave, meanwhile, turned up at Snapdragon Stadium with t-shirts reading “SAN D13GOAT,” referencing the player’s iconic No. 13 and her status as the greatest of all time, which the club is now selling to the public. Fellow Wave forward Maria Sanchez, meanwhile, sported a custom t-shirt with a selfie she took with Morgan when she was a child rocking braces, a picture they recreated this year after Sanchez was traded to San Diego. A handful also sported the pink pre-wrap headband Morgan has iconically worn her whole career.

The Wave also honored Morgan shortly before kickoff by welcoming the player’s loved ones onto the field and providing her with a club jersey that sports the number 63, in honor of her 63 matches for the club.

13 minutes for No. 13

Morgan played just 13 minutes in her final game, a nod to the No. 13 she wore for the majority of her career. It may have been a short finale, but it was an eventful one with two goals taking place and one missed penalty.

The Courage began to play spoiler in the fourth minute when Haley Hopkins scored off a header and forced the Wave to play from behind. The hosts had a great chance at an equalizer just six minutes later, when a handball meant they conceded a penalty that could have offered a fairytale sendoff for Morgan. She stepped up for what could have been her final goal as a professional but Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy made the save.

The Wave finally found their equalizer, aptly in the 13th minute when Kennedy Wesley scored a header. Wesley’s goal allowed Morgan to celebrate a goal for one final time as a professional before coming off directly after the goal.

Morgan then walked off to a series of hugs, large cheers from the crowd and tears from a handful of her teammates. The crowd quickly began to chant her name as Morgan walked towards the touchline, coming off for Amirah Ali and then receiving another batch of hugs from the bench before taking her seat.

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