Megan Rapinoe talks about the ‘lasting impact’ of the US national team ahead of the final

CNN
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US women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner, said she was extremely proud of her team’s advocacy work off the field, as she reflected on her career ahead of her final match on Sunday.

38 years old, Which will end her 17-year international career The US Soccer Federation announced last month that the player, who played 203 international matches, would be honored in her “farewell match” against South Africa in Chicago.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday before her final international match, Rapinoe said what her national team accomplished off the field “had a lasting impact.”

Rapinoe said her team has been a “huge part” of efforts to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice in sports, especially women’s sports. She said that the team’s achievements on the field “palm in comparison to what we have achieved off the field.”

With 63 career goals and 73 assists for the U.S. women’s national team, Rapinoe — the 2012 London Olympic gold medalist — ranks in the top 10 for both categories in U.S. women’s history.

Although Rapinoe is scheduled to play in some final matches for her national women’s soccer team, Seattle OL Reign, The star player She said she is very much looking forward to having free time after retirement.

“I’m looking forward to my schedule being a little more open, and I’m also a little scared about that,” Rapinoe said, adding that she intends to continue supporting women’s sports. “Obviously I know this is the end of one chapter, but it feels very much like the beginning.”

Julie Ertz, who was part of the national team that won two World Cups with Rapinoe, played her final match for the national team on Thursday night.

Rapinoe became teary-eyed when asked about how she grew up alongside her teammates, including Becky Sauerbrunn, with whom she has played the sport since she was 16.

“We really grow together, and we spend more time here than we do with our family or with our partners or loved ones,” she said.

The star player, described as a “generational talent” by national team general manager Kate Markgraf, won the Women’s Ballon d’Or and the 2019 FIFA Best of the Year award after a scintillating Women’s World Cup in which she was awarded the Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world. Championship and the Golden Boot for the best scorers in the competition.

In her domestic career, she won the French League title and the French Cup with Lyon in the 2012/13 season and won three Women’s National Soccer League Shields with Seattle Rennes and All Rennes.