Tearful end to Megan Rapinoe’s FIFA Women’s World Cup career

Megan Rapinoe didn’t get the Women’s World Cup farewell she wished on Sunday, a penalty that sailed over the crossbar the final worldwide play by one of many United States’ most embellished gamers.

American soccer’s charismatic figurehead was despatched on instead in additional time however the last-16 recreation in opposition to previous foes Sweden ended 0-0 earlier than the Swedes gained the penalty shootout 5-4.

Rapinoe was of three American gamers to overlook her spot-kick.

“This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game. I think it can be cruel and (it was) just not our day,” Rapinoe informed Fox Sports.

“I still just feel really grateful and joyful.”

Renowned for her reliability as a penalty taker, Rapinoe mentioned lacking one within the last second of her profession felt like “a sick joke”.

She tearfully embraced her coach on the pitch earlier than linking up together with her group mates one final time whereas the Sweden gamers celebrated to Abba’s “Dancing Queen”.

“I’ve loved playing for this team and playing for this country. It’s been an honour,” she mentioned.

Rapinoe gained the Golden Boot, Golden Ball and Ballon d’Or for her position within the United States’ victorious 2019 World Cup marketing campaign and her character and activism off the pitch took her star to new heights in a rustic the place not many feminine soccer gamers have achieved family fame.

“I’ve always tried to play the game the right way and to go about things the right way,” she informed reporters in Auckland.

“I’ve always tried to use whatever platform we have – and this platform obviously was built long before I got here.”

The 38-year-old Rapinoe performed jiffy at her fourth World Cup, embracing a task largely as a mentor to a younger and inexperienced U.S. group after enjoying a key half in serving to the group win the 2015 and 2019 world crowns.

Her most memorable second, nonetheless, got here in 2011 when she despatched a laser-like cross to Abby Wambach within the quarter-final in opposition to Brazil to arrange what was voted the best aim within the historical past of the event.

‘THE PLATFORM’

Rapinoe plans to complete her membership season with National Women’s Soccer League facet OL Reign earlier than retiring and reveals no indicators of retreating from public life after a profession spent championing social causes.

She was a number one voice for the U.S. gamers of their pay fairness combat in opposition to their federation in 2019, the results of which have been nonetheless being felt on the 2023 event, as groups from across the globe fought for higher pay and situations.

Looking again on the 2019 event, Rapinoe noticed her on-field achievements as being inextricably entwined together with her advocacy.

“It was almost like a mandatory upping of our level to be able to match everything that we were saying off the field,” mentioned Rapinoe.

“Without the winning, you don’t get all these microphones and without the winning, you don’t get the platform. Without the winning, you don’t get the media, you don’t get the eyes, you don’t get the fans.”

She was famously the goal of Republican former U.S. President Donald Trump’s indignant tweets in the course of the 2019 event, after footage emerged of her saying she wouldn’t go to the White House if her group gained.

Rapinoe additionally earned a public rebuke from U.S. Soccer when she knelt in the course of the enjoying of the nationwide anthem in 2016 in solidarity with NFL participant Colin Kaepernick.

In 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the very best United States’ civilian honour, alongside gymnastics Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles.

“Being a women’s professional athlete, we sort of know what the injustices are, at least that we have felt. And so I think it makes it easy for us to then be an ally in other ways,” Rapinoe mentioned.

“That’s like the real legacy, I think the most important legacy, of this team.”

—Reuters