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Alex Morgan, USWNT and NWSL star, announces retirement from soccer, pregnant with second child

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Alex Morgan, USWNT and NWSL star, announces retirement from soccer, pregnant with second child

U.S. Women’s National Team and San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan announced she will be retiring as she and her husband Servando Carrasco are expecting their second child. Morgan, 35, will play one final game for the San Diego Wave on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage at home, she announced in a video posted to her social media Thursday.

“I have so much clarity about this decision, and I’m so happy to be able to finally tell you,” Morgan said. “It has been a long time coming and this decision wasn’t easy. At the beginning of 2024, I felt in my heart and soul that this was the last season that I would play soccer.

“Soccer was a part of me for 30 years, and it was one of the first things that I ever loved. I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Morgan played her final game with the USWNT in June before the Olympics, a 3-0 win over South Korea in Minnesota. Coach Emma Hayes made plenty of headlines for leaving her off the Olympic squad, and Morgan remained with the Wave during the summer.

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Morgan has been with the Wave since 2022, having previously played for the Orlando Pride and Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL, along with international stints in Lyon in 2017 and with Tottenham during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She will retire a two-time World Cup winner with the USWNT in 2015 and 2019 and a two-time Olympic medalist (gold in 2012 and bronze in 2021). In her 224 USWNT appearances, she scored 123 goals — leaving her ninth on the all-time list for team appearances, and fifth for most goals scored in the program’s history.

Morgan first broke through with the United States U-20 team in 2008, when she was early in her collegiate career at the University of California, Berkeley. She debuted for the senior national team in 2010, picking up her first cap on March 31, 2010, against Mexico.

Morgan was the youngest member of the 2011 World Cup squad at age 22, scoring her first goal in the hallowed competition in a 3-1 semifinal victory before opening the scoring in the final against Japan. The showing made her undroppable for the USWNT for over a decade, as she became a natural heir to Abby Wambach at striker. Morgan also began her club career that year, kicking off a long-nomadic saga with the Western New York Flash, playing for five teams between 2011 and 2017.

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Regardless of her club situation, Morgan remained consistent with the national team. She became the face of the program, winning the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in 2012 and landing on the FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist that year. In terms of individual honors, she will retire as a four-time CONCACAF Player of the Year, a six-time member of the FIFPro Women’s World 11, the 2022 NWSL Golden Boot winner and a member of the USWNT All-Time Best XI in 2013.

“I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer,” Morgan said in U.S. Soccer’s official release about her retirement. “It was the friendships and the unwavering respect and support among each other, the relentless push for global investment in women’s sports, and the pivotal moments of success both on and off the field. I am so incredibly honored to have borrowed the crest for more than 15 years. I learned so much about myself in that time and so much of that is a credit to my teammates and our fans.

“I feel immense pride in where this team is headed, and I will forever be a fan of the USWNT. My desire for success may have always driven me, but what I got in return was more than I could have ever asked and hoped for.”

Morgan also contributed massively off the field, leading the USWNT players’ fight for equal pay — she was one of the five players who put their names to the first Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint that kicked off the long battle in 2016 before the team sued U.S. Soccer in 2019.

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As important as that fight was, she built a legacy off the field in the NWSL as well, serving as a key witness for Mana Shim, and then Sinead Farrelly, as they went on record with The Athletic in 2019 to share their stories of abuse they had suffered in the NWSL. Morgan, in addition to going on record, was a key figure behind the scenes in pushing the league to add protections for players against harassment and other abuses of power.

She also posted emails between Shim, Farrelly and then-commissioner Lisa Baird proving the league was aware that the two players were trying to come forward with additional information. “If we don’t absolutely claw and fight for ourselves, we’ve seen that we’re not going to get anything,” Morgan told The Athletic in 2021.

Morgan has always been willing to enter that fight, and with her retirement announcement Thursday, has left the game better for it.

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(Photo: C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.

Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.

“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”

 

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Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3.  (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)

The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.

Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.

Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”

Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.

“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.

“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.

It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.

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Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

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Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest. 

The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games. 

The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.

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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)

On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.

But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.

The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.

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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.

There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.

But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.

Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.

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Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.

It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.

How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.

But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory. 

Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona.   (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.

For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

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