Sunday’s farewell fell on a beautiful autumn afternoon at Soldier Field with family, friends and fiancee Sue Bird for the 2-0 win over South Africa.
“To come tonight and actually feel it and see it from my teammates and from our staff and actually from the fans, really, it’s really special,” Rapinoe said.
Fans wore Rapinoe jerseys of various designs and color patterns — time capsules from a career that began against Ireland in July 2006, three weeks after her 21st birthday. There are T-shirts showing Rapinoe’s silhouette pose from the 2019 World Cup, where she won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s MVP – arms raised, one raised higher than the other, mouth pointing proudly in the sky.
A song about her blared over the speakers, and chants of “Ohhhh, Megan Ra-pi-noe!” picked up steam.
The 38-year-old winger played 54 minutes. A goal or an assist would have been a fitting end. He approached the two.
An offside infraction ruled out a first-half cross that Alex Morgan bombed into the net. Four minutes into the second half, Rapinoe’s corner kick was deflected by the goalkeeper and sent in by Emily Sonnett. Rapinoe set up the goal, but because the ball deflected, she was not given an assist.
Sonnett jumped into Rapinoe’s arms. The US players quickly retreated to allow Rapinoe to hit her famous stance one last time.
“Pinoe’s message before the game was ‘Feed the beast’ – he is the beast,” Sonnett said. “Can’t get the goal for him, but a celebration he might have. I think he’d love it. We’ve got to do it, right?”
Moments later, for her final act, Rapinoe’s 25-yard free kick narrowly slipped under the crossbar. Alas, it floated high and flowed into the top of the net.
“I almost got one,” Rapinoe said. “Very close. Damn.â€
That was it. As Margaret Purce waited to replace her, Rapinoe hugged teammates and handed the captain’s armband to Lindsey Horan. The South African players applauded. Rapinoe kissed the crowd and bowed.
“Pinoe is not just a special person to me and this team but really to the world,” Purce said. “He’s a special presence, and he radiates acceptance and love. And to lose someone like that in your locker room, it hurts, but it’s a beautiful moment and I’m so happy that he’s gone there is this kind of peace and respect that he deserves.
After the game, he was honored on the field in a video montage.
“I feel like I grew up in front of you,” she said in a tearful address to the crowd. “It’s an honor to wear this shirt and play my childhood dream.”
The farewell was almost three months in the making. Before the US team left for the World Cup in July, Rapinoe announced her intention to retire this fall. His playing days aren’t over, though: He’ll continue to compete with Seattle’s OL Reign until the end of the NWSL season.
As much as the U.S. team did on the field, Rapinoe said at a news conference Saturday that she was more proud of what she and her teammates accomplished.
“In a mile,” he said, smiling.
He cited the US Soccer Federation’s successful push to support men’s and women’s programs equally — a campaign that has inspired other women’s teams around the world. He also spoke proudly of using his platform to champion non-sporting causes.
“We’re a big part of the push [and] talking about whether it’s gay rights or racial justice or trans rights, it’s more in every conversation about sports, especially women’s sports,” Rapinoe said. “We’re a driver of that. and make that as important as we do on the field.”
Thinking of finding the voice of the team, he added: “We are a special generation of players, but it says a lot about us that everything on the field is not good compared to what we have achieved outside the field , where we choose to give our weight to the way we use what is our greatest gift – all of our [athletic] talent — to try to make the world a better place and try to leave the game a better place than we found it.”
Rapinoe’s farewell comes as the women’s team turns the page. On Thursday, retired defender Julie Ertz was honored during a friendly in Cincinnati. Some seem likely to stop it in the coming year.
Matt Crocker, the USSF’s new sporting director, is looking for a coach following the departure of Vlatko Andonovski after the World Cup. Eliminated in the round of 16, the Americans suffered their first exit from a major tournament in their history. Rapinoe did not have a good tournament, a clear sign that her time has passed.
Interim coach Twila Kilgore will continue to run the team in next month’s friendlies against Colombia before handing over to a new leader for two friendlies later in the year.
“We are confident in the track being in position to have a head coach in place and ready to support the team from early December camp,” Crocker said.
A new coach, he added, should emphasize attacking through continuous possession, a feature that has been absent from the US program for years as others have become more technical. and sophisticated.
The solutions will come, in part, from a younger generation. Trinity Rodman, 21, scored the first goal on Sunday with a full volley. Mia Fishel, 22, made her US debut in the second half. Alyssa Thompson, 18, is in reserve.
“I like to think we prepared them well going forward,” Rapinoe said. “We’re always there to help them in any way we can, but this is their team now.”