Alex Morgan trades cleats and jerseys for round two of messy buns and dirty diapers

With only three days between her retirement/pregnancy announcement and her final match on September 8, Alex Morgan fans have little time to emotionally prepare for the send-off of a US Soccer legend.

In 2010, "Baby Horse" galloped onto the field for her USWNT debut. Over the next 15 years, she netted critical game winners, graduated from the supporting act to the main event, matured out of her nickname, won so many things they wouldn't all fit on a CVS receipt, and became her daughter Charlie's hero.

In the name of college rivalries (that obviously outweigh all else), I can't in good conscience give a Cal Bear 100% of my support or admiration (Go Card!)

I am however not blind. The woman's done a thing or two for the game of soccer. The whole gold medal situation...not bad. Those two World Cup Championships...decent. Leading a USWNT of movers and shakers into a new era of women's rights in the sports arena...respectable.

Motherhood tops Alex Morgan's list of accomplishments

Perhaps most impressively, Alex Morgan spent the last four years simultaneously navigating professional soccer and motherhood and by all accounts doing a commendable job at both.

Her play has been infused with the strength and willpower of a mother and she's been gifted a shift in perspective. That soccer is so many things to her, but it's not everything.

She has a daughter who's aware of her on-field successes but cares more about her off-field hugs. Who after a loss expects bedtime stories to be read with the same enthusiasm as the night after a win. And who looks up to her mom's soccer prowess, but also her ability to fill their home with love.

As Alex Morgan steps away from the game, she has the privilege of literally welcoming a new life, and even as she gives up something, she's gaining more of her everything.