Seeing Alex Morgan take the pitch Thursday night stirred a flood of emotions. For many of us here, she was THE striker that defined our generation. If our parents had Mia Hamm, we proudly had AM13. 2x World Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, activist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and so much more. The best role model one could ask for. An icon on all accounts.

We’re sure everyone at Subaru Park felt the same way last night — including the USWNT players on the pitch. It’d been nearly 4 months since they’d last taken the field, but you could tell the weight of Alex Morgan’s retirement ceremony galvanized the squad right before kickoff. After all, they were playing in the same stadium where the legendary forward scored her first-ever goal for the National Team back in 2010. It only took Rose Lavelle 32 seconds to find the back of the net. Maybe some of Alex’s goal-scoring magic was still drifting in the air as she walked off the field.

At the other end, they might’ve been inspired too. Portugal played a flawless game to stall the USWNT and they converted their chances to walk away with a 2-1 win. It was their first pair of goals and victory over the USWNT ever — a huge feat against Emma Hayes’ side. Despite ultimately falling to Portugal, it’s a night we’ll all still cherish for the rest of our lives. The night we got to say goodbye to Alex Morgan.

Photography by: Rodolfho Chona

For 33 seconds, everything looked familiar. Rose Lavelle’s sharp finish inside the first minute — the seventh-fastest goal in USWNT history — suggested another routine night for the reigning Olympic champions. But what followed was anything but.

In a physical, hard-fought match at Subaru Park, Portugal stunned the U.S. women’s national team 2–1, claiming their first-ever victory — and first-ever goals — against the Americans in 12 meetings.

Emma Hayes’ young U.S. side, playing its first match in 113 days, came out blazing. Lavelle, in the form of her club career with Gotham FC, collected a deflected pass from Catarina Macario and buried it into the lower corner just 33 seconds in. The sequence — set up by Alyssa Thompson’s clever flick and Macario’s persistence — showcased the kind of fluidity Hayes has been cultivating since taking over.

But after that early jolt, the U.S. faded. Portugal grew into the match, disrupting the Americans’ rhythm and forcing turnovers in midfield. “It felt like we just hadn’t played together for a long time,” Hayes admitted postgame. “I didn’t recognize us tonight.”

The visitors equalized in the 41st minute when Diana Gomes rose unmarked to head home a corner from Francisca Nazareth — Portugal’s first-ever goal against the U.S. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, earning just her fourth cap, had earlier kept the U.S. ahead with a point-blank leg save, but could do little about the set piece.

In the second half, the U.S. pressed to restore the lead. Lindsey Horan (née Heaps) volleyed over from close range, Lavelle nearly found a second, and substitute Michelle Cooper forced a save with a header — but the breakthrough never came. Instead, it was Portugal who struck again, punishing another defensive lapse on a corner. Nazareth’s driven delivery found Fátima Pinto near the penalty spot, and her deflected strike spun past Tullis-Joyce in the 72nd minute to make it 2–1.

Despite outshooting Portugal 16–7 and holding a 1.63 to 0.85 expected-goals advantage, the U.S. couldn’t find a way through. It was their third loss of 2025 — and perhaps the most telling under Hayes so far.

Midfielder Sam Coffey called it a learning moment. “There’s a standard of winning here,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re young or time apart — we have to respond.”

Thursday’s match also carried emotional weight. Before kickoff, U.S. Soccer honored Alex Morgan, celebrating a career that spanned 224 caps and 123 goals — the first of which came 15 years ago in this very stadium.

The defeat, though, underscored that the next era of U.S. dominance won’t come automatically. With veterans like Morgan gone and emerging stars still finding their footing, Hayes’ rebuild is ongoing.

The U.S. will get a quick shot at redemption when they face Portugal again Sunday in East Hartford, before closing out their October window against New Zealand in Kansas City.

For now, Portugal’s victory stands as a landmark — and for the U.S., a timely reminder that the rest of the world is catching up fast.