Former captain and U.S. Women’s National Team forward Alex Morgan officially joins her former NWSL team, San Diego Wave FC as a minority investor.
“It’s really been incredible for me to go from being a player, to watching the game, and now as an investor,” Morgan told Forbes in an exclusive interview. “I think every athlete goes through their own transition from active to former player, but for me, the love for the game doesn’t stop. To be on this side of it now and just appreciate the game and enjoy watching the Wave and seeing the success that they have on the field and experience it as a fan is new and I just really love it.”
Morgan Makes New Strides In Growing the Game
Over eight months ago, Morgan announced that her 15-year playing career was officially coming to an end in just 72 hours. The announcement was also paired with the news of her being pregnant with her second child.
Although it’s been just over a month since Morgan gave birth to her second child, Enzo, her drive as a professional continues to grow as she transitions into her new role as a minority investor for the Wave.
“This really hits so close to the heart, just being able to invest in something that represents the city that I live in, the sport I grew up playing, the team and organization that I spent every day of the last three years committing most of my time with,” said Morgan. “It’s great to now be able to give back the learnings I made as a player into that on the business side and as an investor.”
In October 2024, the Levine Leichtman Family officially purchased the Wave for an NWSL record of $120 million. With Morgan’s retirement in September 2024, the conversations about her involvement on the business side followed soon after.
“This was really always part of the plan, to move from player to investor or co-owner,” said Morgan. “It was always something I wanted to do since I moved to this city, play for this city and this club and to make it one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world. I think that I can really help in doing that as a player and now on the other side of it, I’m really excited that I’ll be able to do that from the business side.”
As an athlete, Morgan scored 123 goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team and made 50 appearances for the Wave in the first three seasons of the club’s existence. Morgan concluded her career as the all-time leading scorer and assist leader, with 28 goals and 11 assists for the Wave.
Since Morgan’s retirement, she’s continued to pave a way for girls and mom’s through the Alex Morgan Foundation. However, in her newest opportunity as a minority investor, her focus will be to provide mentorship to Wave players.
The former forward has a wealth of knowledge as she participated in the NWSL for 12 seasons and also played overseas for Olympique Lyonnais Féminin in France from 2016-2017 and with Tottenham Hotspur in England from 2020-2021.
Additionally, Morgan has also won awards at the highest level from being a two-time World Cup champion (2015, 2019), Olympic gold medalist (2012), and winning the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year (2012, 2018) award.
With deep ties to the city, San Diego has become home for her family and following her retirement, September 8 has officially been recognized as Alex Morgan Day by the San Diego City Council.
Building the Wave to Reach New Heights
Although the NWSL season is several weeks into the regular season, the Wave are currently ranked No. 4 in the NWSL standings with a 4-2-2 (wins, draws, losses) record.
Instead of being on the field, Morgan now spends game days with her family supporting the Wave from the stands.
“Alex has always fought to positively impact this game beyond the pitch,” said Lauren Leichtman, Controlling Owner of San Diego Wave FC. “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.”
Following the shift in player dynamics from the offseason trades and signings, Morgan looks forward to building relationships with the new players on the team as she not only advocates for women’s sports but puts it into action by coming alongside her former team.
Morgan and her husband, Servando Carrasco, founded Trybe Ventures in 2022 where they’ve invested in health tech, sport tech, media, CPG, and emerging sports properties.
“This investment for me and my husband is something that we have been really passionate about,” said Morgan.”I had the hope of being able to do it soon after I retired and so it’s incredible to be able able to follow through with something that you kind of started to put in place four years ago. “I feel confident in what I’ll be able to bring to the Wave and the value I’ll be able to add, so, having this come now as we’re building our family and continuing to dig into this community, I feel like it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
San Diego Wave FC will face Gotham FC on Friday, May 16 at 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET and will reunite at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday, May 25 at 7pm PT/10pm ET as they host the North Carolina Courage.
