Megan Rapinoe ended this Sunday at the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago (USA) a glorious 16-year career with the national team USAbid farewell to ‘Team USA’ in a friendly 2-0 match win South Africa after winning two World Cups and London 2012 Olympic gold.
The Californian forward started and spent 53 minutes on the field in her final international match and will continue playing for at least another month before permanently retiring from soccer at the end of the NWSL season, the American professional women’s soccer league, in who plays in OL Reign.
One of the world’s most respected voices for her fight for gender equality and social rights, Rapinoe left her country’s national team after 203 games, 63 goals and 73 assists.
He was able to improve on that mark this afternoon in Chicago, as, seconds before being substituted by coach Twila Kilgore, he launched a direct free kick from 20 meters that ended up a few centimeters high, giving even more sensational entry from some sectors. of those standing.from Soldier Field. When the referee’s assistant showed his number 15 for the substitution, the 25,622 spectators present at Soldier Field stood and gave him a hearty ovation.
Charisma, leadership and commitment to society
Rapinoe debuted in the United States in 2006, when she was 21 years old, and with her charisma, leadership and commitment to society, she not only took soccer but women’s sports to another level. The notes of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply The Best’ accompanied Rapinoe in the post-match celebrations, held in the middle of the field with the rest of her teammates.
The California soccer player used her sport as a platform to raise awareness about human rights. His work was awarded in 2022 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian distinction in the United States. Together with teammates like Alex Morgan, he fought for years until achieving, in 2022, a historic collective agreement guaranteeing equal opportunities. between the US women’s and men’s teams.
“I’m leaving football in a better place than where I found it,” Rapinoe said in an emotional farewell press conference organized on Saturday in Chicago. And he left the American team with an extraordinary record. He won gold at the 2012 London Games, his first major global success, and won two consecutive World Cups in 2015 and 2019. He was also part of the expedition that traveled to Australia and New Zealand last summer to compete in the final World Cup of his career..
Kilgore started him this Sunday against South Africa in a trident completed by Morgan and Trinity Rodman and his team won 2-0. Trinity Rodman and Sonnett, at one time coming from a Rapinoe corner kick, scored the goals of the American victory, which three days earlier had been measured accurately against South Africa in Cincinnati, in the farewell of another legend like Julie Ertz. In that case, the United States won 3-0.
It was played in a Soldier Field prepared for big occasions, with 25,622 spectators in the stands on a sunny afternoon and with a temperature of 20 degrees, the best conditions for competing.
Rapinoe was applauded from the first moment she stepped onto the field to warm up and received all the love from the USSF at the start of the match, when she was given a special jersey with the number 203, her international matches. Her closest family members were waiting for her on the court, including her partner Sue Bird, a former player in the WNBA, the American women’s basketball league.
Rapinoe still has at least a month of competition ahead of her, as she will finish the NWSL season with OL Reign, who are currently in playoff positions. After the game, USSF screened a video tribute to Rapinoe on giant screens at Soldier Field.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
