SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Less than a year after hanging up her boots and stepping away from professional soccer, two-time World Cup Champion Alex Morgan returned to San Diego Wave FC Tuesday -- this time as an investor.
The Wave and the Leichtman-Levine Family announced Tuesday that former club captain Morgan has joined the team's ownership as a minority investor.
"San Diego is where I've built my home, where I am raising my children, and found a purpose beyond my playing career," Morgan said. "I believed in Wave FC before a single match was played, and I still believe this club has the power to change the future of women's sports. I'm proud to invest in that future and not just as a player, but now as an investor."
She was one of the first players signed to the squad, which made its debut in 2021. Morgan scored the Wave's first goal and led the team to consecutive playoff berths.
Morgan ended her career that included helping the U.S. women's national team to two FIFA Women's World Cup championships and an Olympic gold medal by playing the first 15 minutes of the San Diego Wave FC's 4-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage at Snapdragon Stadium on Sept. 8, 2024.
Morgan removed her boots at midfield, hugged all her teammates, waved in tears and walked off in her socks as the crowd announced at 26,516 chanted her name.
Now, Morgan will be joining Wave FC's new controlling owners, the Leichtman-Levine family.
"Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch," said Lauren Leichtman, controlling owner of the club. "She used her platform to lead, to advocate, and to build something meaningful in San Diego. Her decision to invest is not only a continuation of her leadership but also a reflection of her belief in what we are building."
Morgan remains the Wave's all-time leading scorer and assist leader, with 28 goals and 11 assists. In the club's inaugural season, she won the National Women's Soccer League Golden Boot with 16 goals, leading San Diego to become the first expansion team in NWSL history to qualify for the playoffs.
In 2023, the former captain helped guide the Wave to its first-ever trophy, lifting the NWSL Shield in front of a record-breaking home crowd at Snapdragon Stadium.
Morgan, a Diamond Bar native, was selected first in the defunct Women's Professional Soccer 2011 draft by the Western New York Flash, helping lead it to the championship in what turned out to be the league's final season.
She joined the Portland Thorns in 2013 and helped lead it to the championship in the NWSL's inaugural season. Morgan played with the Thorns through 2015 when she was traded to the expansion Orlando Pride, who she played for from 2016-2021, interrupted by brief stints with the French first division team Lyon in 2017 and Tottenham Hotspur of England's Women's Super League in 2020.
Morgan scored 123 goals in 224 games with the U.S. national team, which she helped to FIFA Women's World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019 and an Olympic gold medal in 2012.
She has been a long-time advocate for women's sports, co-founding TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company dedicated to equal rights, and covering and investing in women's sports. In 2023, she launched the Alex Morgan Foundation, which is dedicated to "creating equity and opportunity on the field and off by supporting girls and women as they find their path in sport and in life," a statement from the foundation read.
In October 2024, the city of San Diego presented her with the key to the city.
"Very few athletes rise to the level of world champion. Even fewer people change what future generations see as possible. Alex Morgan is both," said then-San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. "Thanks to her, young girls are growing up seeing and believing they can be professional athletes and all people are reminded that barriers are meant to be broken.
"We want to express our gratitude and appreciation to Alex Morgan for elevating the beautiful game while raising the profile of US Women's soccer. Receiving the key to the city is a testament to her professional achievements, her role as a trailblazer, as well as her fight for equal pay."
San Diego Wave FC returns to Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 25 to take on the North Carolina Courage with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
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