Alex Morgan Traded Her Uniform for Stunning Swimwear on the Beaches of St. Lucia

In 2019, the retired soccer player posed for the cover of the SI Swimsuit Issue in the Caribbean.

Martha Zaytoun | Sep 15, 2024

Alex Morgan was photographed by Ben Watts in St. Lucia. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

The SI Swimsuit brand has, over the years, amassed a large group of talented and inspiring women for the annual magazine. Each year, new faces enter the equation, and recognizable ones return for another go-round. And while we appreciate each and every woman who poses for the issue, there is something special about those who return. After all, with more features comes a greater opportunity to get to know the faces behind the camera.

Where Alex Morgan is concerned, we would have relished the chance at just one feature—let alone the three we ended up with. Over the years, the inspirational athlete has posed for three separate issues of the annual magazine. Her most recent took place in 2019 on the beaches of St. Lucia. Five years after her second feature, it was as much a chance to capture stunning photos as it was a chance for us to catch up with the talented athlete, who landed on the cover that year.

When Morgan stepped foot on set in 2019, a lot had changed in the interim. The soccer player switched teams a handful of times, helped the USWNT to a 2015 FIFA World Cup title and gotten married. And through it all, she remained the same inspiring force on and off the field that she was when we first met her.

Now, another five years have passed since that 2019 photo shoot. Again, a lot has changed for the 35-year-old. Morgan retired from professional soccer last week, hanging up her San Diego Wave FC jersey for the last time. She is the mother of a 4-year-old daughter and has another baby on the way.

A few things remain true, though. One, Morgan is—and will forever be—an inspiration in the sporting world. And two, her 2019 SI Swimsuit photos remain totally captivating. Here are a few that prove as much.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Published Sep 15, 2024

MARTHA ZAYTOUN

Martha Zaytoun is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2023, she worked on the editorial board of the University of Notre Dame’s student magazine and on the editorial team at Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham Magazines in North Carolina. When not working, Zaytoun loves to watercolor and oil paint, run and water ski. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a huge Fighting Irish fan.