SAN JOSE, Calif. — One of the most charismatic, outspoken players in modern American sport will leave the field later this year.
Megan Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup champion and the face of this era’s U.S. women’s soccer team, announced at a press conference Saturday in San Jose that she will retire after this NWSL season.
“I could’ve just never imagined where this beautiful game would’ve taken me,” Rapinoe said during the news conference at PayPal Park. “I feel so honored to be able to have represented this country and this federation for so many years. It’s truly been the greatest thing that I’ve ever done.”
The U.S. women are in the Bay Area for a tune-up match Sunday against Wales before they depart for the World Cup, Rapinoe’s fourth, in Australia and New Zealand. The tournament begins July 20.
While Rapinoe’s role on this year’s team isn’t defined and she may be more of a player-coach than an on-field star, the announcement likely means she’ll get a chance to play on Sunday in the send-off. It would be her 200th appearance for the USWNT, making her the 14th American woman to reach 200 national team caps.
“She’s had an incredible career and I have loved being her teammate along the way and will continue to love that for the rest of this summer,” said Alex Morgan, who became the 13th player to reach the 200-appearance mark last November. “She’s just a great player that has done so much for this program, so much for soccer in general, and I’m just really happy for that.”
Rapinoe’s club team, the OL Reign of Seattle, will honor her during its final game of this regular season, on Oct. 6.
The 38-year-old midfielder from Redding has made her name off the field, sparring with former president Donald Trump, pushing for equal pay for the USWNT, and otherwise advocating for social justice. She was a vocal supporter of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick when he protested the national anthem.
“Honestly, she’s always been a huge advocate for this team,” Morgan said. “She’s been the backbone of this team. Whether it’s going through the equal pay fight, going through standing up for marginalized communities and backgrounds. She’s someone who is going to stand up when it’s not always a popular opinion. She’s stuck to that and I respect her so much.”
A teary Crystal Dunn added, “[Rapinoe] is an incredible person, human being, friend, teammate. I just love her so much. She’s been so key for me and my career. She’s somebody that I can call with the most random stuff. She’s so incredible. She’s so key for this team, on and off the field.”
Rapinoe’s fiancee, former Seattle Storm star Sue Bird, retired after last WNBA season and had a farewell tour that Rapinoe’s next few months will likely mirror. Bird’s retirement tour elevated a question that Rapinoe had been mulling since capturing her second World Cup in France in 2019.
“Since the final whistle in Lyon, this has been sort of a question I’ve been grappling with and struggling with a lot,” Rapinoe said. “I feel as excited to play the rest of my career as I do to retire and to step away from this beautiful game.”
While it’s not in her hometown in far-northern California, the tune-up match in San Jose is about as close as Rapinoe will get to a homecoming match, making it “kind of perfect” as the site of the final stateside match currently on her calendar (though a USWNT match celebrating Rapinoe could be added).
“It does feel very special,” Rapinoe said, adding that over 40 family members will be in attendance on Sunday. “It means a lot to be able to do it in the Bay. It feels like a second home — from the Bay to Sacramento to Redding, that all feels like home.
“I grew up playing here, playing all over this area. That’s where crazy little Megan got her start. So it feels right to say that I’m ending here.”
