CNN
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American soccer icon Megan Rapinoe left her final professional game with an injury in the opening minutes of the NWSL Championship between Rapinoe’s OL Reign and Gotham FC on Saturday.
In the third minute of the game, while both teams were tied 1-1 in the first half, Rapinoe suffered a non-contact injury. Training staff attended to the 38-year-old athlete, who remained lying on the grass for about two minutes.
The two-time world champion limped off the field under her own power, accompanied by trainers, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, and was replaced by substitute Bethany Balcer.
The extent of Rapinoe’s injury is not yet known.
Saturday’s game marked the last time Rapinoe and Ali Krieger, another U.S. Women’s National Team legend, took the field as opponents, as Krieger’s Gotham FC took on OL Reign.
The two football greats, who were set to retire from professional sports on November 11, were friends and teammates for much of their illustrious careers.
Before the game, in the final pregame press conference of her career, an emotional Rapinoe couldn’t hold back her tears.
“I always tried to play the game right, always tried to enjoy it,” she told reporters while answering a question about her legacy. “At the end of the day, I feel like we’re in the entertainment business, and especially in a growing sport and a growing league, I think that’s really important.
“I’ve always tried to make things better and I’m just so proud and happy, not only of my contribution to the game but also of the era I played in. Knowing that the game is in such a better place and that’s it. “A testament to all the players who played in this generation and played in this league, some of us played on the national team.
“A huge media deal was just announced. This league was crazy this year. It was so much fun to see and be a part of all the storylines. I feel like I can definitely just go home smiling and really proud of my entire career.”
Regardless of the occasion of Saturday’s final, Rapinoe said everything leading up to the game was “exactly the same,” including the fact that the ball was kicked – or shot – between her legs during passing drills in training.
“I get screwed all the time in rondos,” Rapinoe laughed.
The 38-year-old, a two-time World Cup and Olympic gold medalist with the USA, is leaving women’s soccer knowing that the sport’s future looks bright.
The NWSL, the top professional women’s league in the United States, announced Thursday what it called a “groundbreaking” media deal that will ensure 118 of the league’s games during the 2024 season will be broadcast on Amazon Prime, ION, CBS, Paramount Plus and ESPN.
Stephen Brashear/USA Today Sports/Reuters
Rapinoe and Krieger will compete one last time on Saturday.
“These partnerships are a game-changer for our league and the players who step on the field each week,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement. “This is the beginning of our future.”
Beyond everything she accomplished on the pitch, Rapinoe’s legacy extends far beyond the white lines of football.
The midfielder from California has become an influential activist, philanthropist, fashion icon and advocate for equality throughout society.
Throughout her career, Rapinoe has championed many issues, including racial equality, women’s rights, equal pay, and LGBTQ+ issues, to name a few.
Perhaps it was written in the stars that both Rapinoe and Krieger would enjoy their last dance together on the field in the NWSL Championship Game.
On Monday, after both teams booked their spots in the final, Krieger revealed on Instagram a two-month-old text exchange she had with Rapinoe.
When asked by Rapinoe when her last game was, Krieger confidently stated it would be November 11th.
“Well, I think this is my last game too,” Rapinoe replied.
Krieger has had a similarly distinguished career as her U.S. teammate and also played a crucial role in the team’s World Cup victories in 2015 and 2019.
The 39-year-old defender is also a Champions League winner, lifting the trophy with Frankfurt in 2008 and has won a number of individual awards reflecting her outstanding abilities on the pitch.
Krieger, whose final pregame press conference was comically interrupted by spiders falling on the desk, echoed Rapinoe’s sentiments about the league’s growth over the course of her career.
“It was definitely tough at first,” she told reporters. “Basically I fought for some players to be able to wear socks during training and sometimes we had to wash our own clothes, so we’ve definitely come a long way.
“Over the years, no matter what team you play on, no matter where you come from in this country and who you play for, in the end we made it [the players] have each other’s backs. We have power in numbers and I think we’ve seen that over the years.
“We know how to fight for each other, we know how to fight for what’s best for this league and for these players, and that’s ultimately what I think I’m most proud of, that we left this game better, when we found it.” .”
The NWSL finals began on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be viewed in the US on CBS and Paramount Plus.
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