Goodbye Rapinoe, the superhero of soccer’s rebellion

Shortly after the last seconds ticked off the clock fans formed a thick line that bent around the field and stretched nearly 150 yards long waiting eagerly for RapinoeldquoMegan we love yourdquo chanted a group of women ldquoMegan MeganrdquoldquoMegan yoursquore my herordquo a man yelledWhen she netted the first of her two goals in USWNTrsquos 21 victory over France in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Womenrsquos World Cup on a cunning and elusive free kick a 34yearold Megan Rapinoe ran to the corner of the field and held her arms aloftThat gesture of hers seemed to suggest lsquoThis is all of me take me for the bold complex person that I am big personality social activist champion of equal pay presidential critic lavenderhaired soccer star of ruthless and creative purposersquoOut and out front Rapinoe now 38 has perhaps become the representative athlete of recent times wearing the jersey of a nation that is divided playing for a team that is not fearless and unapologetic about demanding excellence from herself and fair and equitable treatment by others All in oneWhen things go wrong you want Rapinoe on your team And when things go right she is often the driving force the source of some of the sweetest crosses and most accurate corners ever witnessed in this beautiful game How do you go on to define a career and a legacy that will extend far beyond what the US has achieved on the pitch For a fan it is simple lsquoMegan Rapinoe is US soccerrsquoYet her last World Cup assignment ended on an unfamiliar footing A penalty kick skied over the crossbar shock and disappointment followed then a rueful smile to herself But even with the disappointing conclusion she was grateful for her wildly successful run with the US national teamRapinoersquos World Cup career ended on Sunday in the Round of 16 when the United States lost to Sweden on penalties after a scoreless draw The outspoken 38yearold announced last month that this would be her last international tournamentBut no matter how Rapinoe fared at the tournament she has already secured her place as one of the worldrsquos most influential athletes Her creative and joyful play helped elevate womenrsquos soccer to the status of appointment viewingldquoI wish we were moving on and I could guarantee a championship and all thatrdquo she said ldquoBut it doesnrsquot take anything from this experience or my career in general I feel so lucky and so grateful to play as long as I have and to be on the successful teams that I haverdquoAlso Read Future not as bleak as you might thinkKnown for her bright hair colours Rapinoe teared up as she spoke to reporters after the match She missed her penalty kick as did teammates Kelley OrsquoHara and Sophia Smith ldquoIrsquom ready in a lot of ways to be donerdquo she said ldquoI feel at peace with that So itrsquos sad but Irsquom OKrdquoAt this World Cup Rapinoe had taken on more of a reserve role She made her 200th appearance with the team as a substitute in a 30 victory over Vietnam to open the tournament She was also a sub in the final group match against Portugal a disappointing scoreless draw After the loss to Sweden captain Lindsey Horan and defender Julie Ertz were among those who embraced Rapinoe on the fieldldquoI just said I love herrdquo Horan said welling up ldquoItrsquos been a journey with herrdquo Ertz said ldquoShersquos been an incredible player for so long I just wanted to make sure I was able to tell her thatrdquoIt was the teamrsquos earliest exit from the World Cup The United States won the last two tournaments and four overalls most by any nation The team had never finished lower than thirdAt the 2019 World Cup in France Rapinoe scored six goals including a penalty in a 20 victory over the Netherlands in the final She also finished with three assists and claimed both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for the best overall playerHer victory pose arms outstretched became one of the iconic images of the dominant US runRapinoe also led the US womenrsquos long fight for equal pay with their male national team counterparts Both teams reached contracts with US Soccer last year that paid them equally and split tournament prize moneyAs a fierce advocate for social justice issues including gender equity and LGBTQ rights she was awarded the nationrsquos highest civilian honour the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden last yearAfter joining the national team in 2006 she finished her international career with two Womenrsquos World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal She also won the Ballon drsquoOr and the Best FIFA Womenrsquos Player awards mdash the gamersquos top individual honours mdash for her play in 2019ldquoI donrsquot think there are enough words to talk about Megan and her impact on this sportrdquo forward Lynn Williams said ldquoFrom equality to human rights the list goes on and on So thatrsquos going to sting a little bit not to see her on this team and wearing the crest anymoreldquoI canrsquot wait to see what shersquos going to do in her next life her next careerrdquoAt her final World Cup Rapinoe was the elder stateswoman on a team that had 14 players appearing for the first time in the tournament Like former teammates Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd she now will step aside to make way for the next generation Rapinoe is not necessarily done with soccer She has said she will play out the season with her club team OL Reign in the National Womenrsquos Soccer League She may say goodbye to fans back home in a few more US matches to wrap up the yearBut her tournament days are over In her 202 overall appearances for the United States she has scored 63 goalsldquoI feel really proud really proud of this team really proud of all the players Irsquove played with Irsquove just loved every moment of my careerrdquo she said ldquoIrsquoll just miss it to death but it also feels like the right time And thatrsquos OKrdquoWhatever Rapinoe does do not expect her to fade away Hear it from the horsersquos mouthldquoI have this incredible privilege and platform and hope that I can turn that into rocket fuel for the next phase of everythingrdquo she says ldquoI want to make the world a better place And I will pull that lever slowly relentlessly and ruthlessly foreverrdquo