After the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Megan Rapinoe plans to retire from professional soccer.

The news was announced during a press conference on Saturday by the two-time World Cup winner.

The US Womens National Team (USWNT) has described Rappinoe as a player renowned for her exceptional skills in the game, her inventive goal-scoring abilities, her critical contributions in high-stakes games, and her profound commitment to a range of societal issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, racial disparity, voting rights, and gender and wage equality.

Thus, she exits the sport as one of the most influential personalities in U.S. soccer history and within the worldwide women’s soccer community.

After finishing the 2023 NWSL season with her long-time team OL Reign, she will retire from professional soccer after participating in her last World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand.

Megan Rapinoe opens up on retirement plans

“I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people.

I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it. To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special.

“I want to thank my family for being by my side all these years. Thanks to all my teammates and coaches all the way back to my first days in Redding, on to college at the University of Portland and of course thanks to U.S. Soccer, the Seattle Reign and especially Sue, for everything.

I will forever cherish the friendships and support over the years in this game, and I am beyond excited for one last ride with the National Team and the Reign”, she said at the press conference.

What US soccer media…


Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-soccer-media-reflects-on-megan-rapinoes-retirement-20230709-WST-442293.html

Author : Martina Alcheva

Publish date : 2023-07-09 17:25:31

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