Seattle soccer star Megan Rapinoe takes final bow with USWNT

Megan Rapinoe, the Seattle soccer star who grew into an international sensation, said goodbye to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Sunday.

Her final game with the squad was a 2-0 win over South Africa in a friendly played in Chicago.

“We grew up together. We went through the toughest times together. The best of times together,” Rapinoe said about her fellow team members after the game. “It’s hard to step away knowing that those relationships will change.”

It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game. I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along. pic.twitter.com/XGZ1T9i7Wy

— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) July 8, 2023

Rapinoe, 38, was presented a framed jersey representing her 203 games with the United States, and she raised her arms as the crowd roared before the victory. The cheers didn’t seem to stop until she was finished addressing the crowd after the win and headed into the tunnel. She scored 63 goals for the United States in those games.

The OL Reign star is retiring after 17 years of playing at a professional level, with two World Cup wins. She is also a three-time Olympian and won gold with her team at the 2012 London Games.

At the 2019 World Cup in France, Rapinoe scored six goals, including a penalty in the final against the Netherlands. With her lavender hair, her victory pose, arms outstretched, became one of the iconic images of the dominant U.S. run.

She claimed the tournament’s Golden Boot and the Golden Ball for the best overall player, and later that year was named the FIFA Best women’s player and won the prestigious Ballon d’Or.

“When I think about what it means to me to represent not only this team but our country, it’s just that. We’re just a little snapshot of all of you,” Rapinoe said.

Her career started and will end in the Pacific Northwest. As a freshman at the University of Portland, Rapinoe helped lead the Pilots to the 2005 national title.

She also recently played her final rivalry match that featured her National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team, the OL Reign, and the Portland Thorns.

Rapinoe will play a few more regular season games for the Reign, including a send-off match for local fans in Seattle on Oct. 6.

Rapinoe looks back

“I’ve just loved every moment of my career,” she said through tears at the World Cup last month in Australia, according to The Associated Press. “I’ll just miss it to death, but it also feels like the right time. And that’s OK.”

With the Reign, Rapinoe is one of just five players who have spent their entire career in the NWSL playing for just one club.

“I just want to say thank you to everybody,” she told a room full of reporters ahead of the Women’s World Cup. “I could have never imagined where this beautiful game would have taken me.” She called playing for the national team “the greatest thing that I have ever done.”

“I don’t think there are enough words to talk about Megan and her impact on this sport,” fellow forward Lynn Williams said. “From equality to human rights, the list goes on and on and on. So that’s going to sting a little bit, not to see her on this team and wearing the crest anymore.”

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Rapinoe off the pitch

Some might argue that the greatest thing she has ever done was fight for equal pay for the women’s World Cup teams, which she achieved. Though, that was just resolved last year.

Among prominent athletes to publicly come out, Rapinoe has also been active in LGBTQ+ rights, including transgender rights. She also has been outspoken about voter rights.

“She’s just a big personality both on and off the pitch,” former coach Jill Ellis said. “And I think she honestly thrives in these moments.”

In 2016, Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. He knelt during the anthem to call attention to racial inequality.

U.S. Soccer responded by adopting a rule that players must stand for anthems, which was rescinded in 2021.

Half of a Seattle power couple, Rapinoe is engaged to Sue Bird. Bird is a 4-time WNBA champion, a 13-time WNBA All-Star, and a 5-time Olympic gold medalist. Rapinoe and Bird got engaged in 2020.

Contributing: The Associated Press