Megan Rapinoe said farewell to fans of the U.S. women’s national team after playing her 203rd and final time in the team’s 2-0 win over South Africa on Sunday — but promised it will not be the last we hear from her.
“I just want to say thank you. It feels like I’ve been able to grow up in front of all of you,” Rapinoe said on the pitch at Chicago’s Soldier Field after playing 54 minutes.
“When I think of what it means to represent this team and this country, we’re just a little snapshot of all of you. I think this team has always taken so much pride in that and showing up as our whole selves … to continue to create more space for ourselves to be who we are, but hopefully in turn to create more space for you to be who you are. It has been such an honor to wear this shirt and play with all these players and live out my childhood dreams, just casually in front of the whole world.”
Rapinoe leaves a singular legacy on the USWNT and American soccer as a whole. She played for the team for 17 years, which is the fourth-longest tenure in the USWNT’s history, and delivered a batch of memorable moments on the field, including as the star of the team’s 2019 Women’s World Cup triumph. She has an equally impactful…
