Megan Rapinoe already had her big send-off from the U.S. women’s national team last month, but this time it’s OL Reign’s turn. The team has opened up additional seating at their home stadium, Lumen Field in Seattle, and has the potential to set the new NWSL record attendance for a standalone match (San Diego currently holds the top spot with a sellout crowd of 32,000). There will be pre- and post-game ceremonies honoring Rapinoe’s history with the club.
The city will get involved too, with the local ferries bearing “Forever Rapinoe” flags and buildings across town (including Lumen Field) lighting up “Pinoe Pink” on Friday night.
Beside Rapinoe on Friday night will be her fiancée Sue Bird, who knows firsthand not just about retiring from a lengthy professional career, but doing so after a lengthy career in Seattle. In Bird’s case, it was after 21 years with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm last year, and she’s been waiting for Rapinoe to catch up in this new phase of their life together.
They’ll have some projects waiting for them, of course, with their production company, A Touch More, starting to gear up by hiring a new head of development in Camille Bernier Green. Rapinoe has expressed a desire to stay involved in the growth of women’s sports, too.
But first,…
