18-year-old man from Denfield, Ont., in fatal motorcycle crash southwest of Toronto

Two-time Women’s World Cup champion Alex Morgan announced she is pregnant with her second child and is retiring from professional soccer.

Over the course of a 15-year career with the United States, Morgan not only made an impact on the field, she also helped lead the team’s fight for equal pay and was outspoken about social justice issues.

The 35-year-old Morgan will play her final match with her club team, the San Diego Wave of the National Women’s Soccer League, on Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium.

In addition to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Morgan also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 London Olympics. She first joined the national team in 2009.

Over her career with the U.S. team, she played in 224 matches, ninth-all time, with 123 goals (fifth all-time) and 53 assists (ninth all-time).

“I grew up on this team, it was so much more than soccer,” Morgan said in a statement. “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.”

Morgan was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year twice.

Her final game with the United States came on June 4, 2024, against South Korea. She was not on the roster of players that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Morgan was among the players who sued U.S. Soccer in 2019 for gender discrimination, citing inequitable pay and treatment compared to the men’s national team. In 2022, the sides agreed to collective bargaining agreements that pay both teams equally.

Morgan has a daughter, Charlie, who was born in 2020.

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A judge in California on Thursday was scheduled to weigh preliminary approval of a $2.78 billion settlement of three antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and major conferences, the first step of a lengthy process that could lead to college athletes getting a cut of the billions in television revenue that flows to their schools.

Attorneys from both sides were set to appear in front of U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland, California. Wilken could rule as soon Thursday, but it is more likely to be several days.

The NCAA and five power conferences agreed in May to settle House v. NCAA and two similar case cases that challenged compensation rules for college athletes.

The deal calls for the NCAA to foot the bill for nearly $3 billion in damages paid to former and current college athletes who were denied the right to earn money off their name, image and likeness, dating to 2016.

As part of the settlement, the conferences agreed to a revenue-sharing plan that would allow each school to direct about $21 million to athletes, starting as soon as next season — if the settlement receives final approval.

Preliminary approval allows the plaintiffs to begin notifying thousands of former and current college athletes that they are eligible to claim damages or object to the terms. That can start in two weeks.

Objections have already been filed with the court, including one from the plaintiffs in another athlete compensation case in Colorado who declined to be part of the settlement. A group of former Division I female athletes is also challenging the settlement, claiming damages will be unfairly paid mostly to football and men’s basketball players.

Two college athlete advocacy groups that support the organization of players and collective bargaining as part of a new compensation model have taken different approaches to the settlement.

The National College Players’ Association last week called the settlement “unjust” and said it would work to prevent it from being approved. Athletes.org, which says it has nearly 4,000 college athletes as members, said it supports the settlement as an important first step, but would like some of the terms tweaked before it is implemented.

The NCAA and college sports leaders are already working on how to implement the revenue-sharing plan — including bringing in an outside third-party to manage enforcement of some terms. Preliminary approval creates a modicum of certainty, but the work of implementation will still have to be done while waiting for final approval from Wilken.

The soonest that could happen is 150 days after notices go out to members of the class.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

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LONDON, Ont. – A London, Ont., court is hearing legal arguments in the sexual assault case of five former members of Canada’s world junior hockey team.

Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged earlier this year in connection with an alleged sexual assault at a hotel in 2018.

They are all charged with sexual assault, though McLeod also faces an additional charge of sexual assault for “being a party to the offence.”

All five plan to defend themselves against the allegations and have opted for a jury trial.

None of the players were present in court for Thursday’s hearing, and the issues discussed at the hearing cannot be reported at this time due to a publication ban.

The legal arguments are expected to continue Friday. The trial is set to take place next year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2024.

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