It’s September 2026, and I still vividly remember the day Alex Morgan hung up her boots. Even three years after her retirement, her iconic End of an Era card in EA FC 25 holds a permanent spot in my Ultimate Team lineup. Whenever I look at that card, I’m transported back to the autumn of 2024, when EA dropped a Squad Building Challenge that felt like a love letter to one of the greatest strikers the USA has ever produced.

how-i-unlocked-alex-morgans-end-of-an-era-card-in-ea-fc-25-image-0

The moment I saw the announcement, I knew I had to complete it. Morgan was retiring, and EA wasn’t holding back. This wasn’t just another SBC; it was an End of an Era tribute, the kind of card that turns a sentimental collector into a obsessed grinder. I had saved up a decent amount of fodder, but the estimated 325,000 Coins price tag made my wallet ache. Still, a striker with 96 Finishing, 92 Composure, and 93 Ball Control was too good to ignore. She promised to be lethal in the box, and the Poacher++ Player Role meant she’d make those darting runs behind the defense—something my current forwards just couldn’t do consistently.

Gathering the Squads: A Puzzle with Five Pieces

EA made us work for it. Five squads, each with a climbing rating requirement, and one of them demanded a player from the United States. I remember staring at my club, figuring out the cheapest path. The first 84-rated squad cost me around 12,650 coins. I used players like Trippier, Romero, and Dovbyk—reliable fodder that felt like passing acquaintances I was about to say goodbye to. The second squad, an 85-rated one, ate up almost 42k in value and forced me to part with some higher-rated untradeables like De Ligt and Ake.

The jump to the 86 and 87-rated squads was where the real pain began. I burned through my high-rated dupes: Rice, Fernandes, Reiten, Katoto. I remember sacrificing an untradeable Renard and Endler, those cards that had served me well in the first weeks of FC 25. Actually repeating the 87-rated squad twice stung. By the time I submitted the final segment, my club was a skeleton of its former self, but the reward screen lit up with that glorious red, white, and blue card design.

Was She Worth the Grind?

Absolutely. The first game I played with Morgan, she scored a hat-trick. Her Finesse Shot PlayStyle Plus combined with a five-star weak foot meant I could fire off curlers from tight angles with either foot. Suddenly, opponents who thought they had me contained in the final third were left watching the ball nestle into the far corner. Her poacher runs were intelligent and relentless; I didn’t have to trigger them manually. She read the game like the veteran she was, always lurking for a rebound or a through ball.

Even now, in EA FC 26 friendlies and squad battles, I bring out that Morgan card. She may not have the flashiness of newer promos, but she’s a testament to a legendary career. The challenge expired on November 15, 2024, and I still feel a pang of satisfaction knowing I completed it early. Many of my friends hesitated, put off by the soaring prices of fodder in the first months of the game. But I jumped in, and I’ve never looked back.

The SBC was more than just a numbers game. Here’s a quick look at what I remember about the requirements and the kind of cheap solutions I used:

84-Rated Squad (USA player min 1)

I leaned on 84s like Gyökeres, Dani Olmo, and Ruben Neves. Cost: ~12,650 coins.

85-Rated Squad

Cards like Grimaldo, Sane, Gabriel, and Coman helped me hit the rating. Cost: ~41,700 coins.

86-Rated Squad

I used Pajor, Rice, Mac Allister, and Schüller. The jump to 86 already hurt. Cost: ~69,500 coins.

87-Rated Squad (repeat once)

Bruno Fernandes, Lavelle, Renard, Katoto, Endler—these were the heavy sacrifices. Each squad cost around 93,500 coins, so repeating it added up.

Total: roughly 325,000 Coins. It felt like a mountain of value in October 2024, but seeing that 93-rated Morgan card in my squad made it all worth it.

To this day, I recommend anyone who wants a piece of USWNT history to craft her if the SBC ever returns—though I doubt it will. She’s a reminder that Ultimate Team isn’t just about the meta; sometimes it’s about celebrating the players who shaped the beautiful game. Alex Morgan’s legacy lives on in my team, and every finesse shot I score with her feels like a small tribute to an icon.