Rapinoe Megan
Megan Anna Rapinoe is an American professional soccer player who primarily plays as a winger. As a member of the United States women’s national soccer team member, she helped lead the U.S. to win the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and finish runners-up at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Since 2018, she co-captains the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence, and MagicJack in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), as well as Olympique Lyonnais in France’s Division 1 Féminine. Rapinoe is internationally known for her crafty style of play and activism. Her precise cross to Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil resulted in an equalizer goal and eventual win for the Americans after a penalty shootout. The last-minute goal was awarded ESPN’s 2011 ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. During the 2012 London Olympics, she scored three goals and tallied a team-high four assists to lead the United States to a gold medal. She is the first player, male or female, to score a goal directly from a corner at the Olympic Games.
USA NATIONAL TEAM
Fifa Women’s World Cup “FRANCE 2019”
July 7th 2019
USA vs Netherlands
Match Worn Captain Arm Band
Did you Know?
During the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final on July 7 in front of a sold-out crowd of 57,900 fans at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Rapinoe scored her 50th international goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. After a second goal by teammate Rose Lavelle, the United States defeated the Netherlands 2–0 to clinch its second consecutive World Cup championship. At age 34, Rapinoe was the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final and was named Player of the Match. She was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals, having played fewer minutes than her teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White, who also recorded six goals. Rapinoe also earned the Golden Ball award as the best player at the tournament.
Did you Know?
Rapinoe grew up in Redding, California with her parents, Jim and Denise, and five siblings, including her fraternal twin, Rachael Rapinoe. She has Italian (from her paternal grandfather) and Irish ancestry. She idolized her older brother Brian and started playing soccer at age three after watching him play the sport. When she was ten and he was fifteen, he was put in juvenile detention, and was thereafter in and out of various prisons including the super-max Pelican Bay State Prison. Brian has since made a determined effort to avoid drugs after seeing his younger sister’s success in international soccer and not being able to be present with his family. For both Rachael and Megan, soccer was a means to get away from the drug abuse that is widespread in rural California. Rapinoe spent most of her youth playing with teams coached by her father until high school. Instead of playing soccer at Foothill High School, Rapinoe played for the Elk Grove Pride club team, located south of Sacramento. She competed in track as a freshman and sophomore; competed in basketball as a freshman, sophomore, and senior; and was on the honor roll every semester of high school. Rapinoe was named Parade and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American as a junior and senior. She was named to McDonald’s All-American Girls High School Soccer West Team in 2004. Rapinoe played for the under-14 Northern California state Olympic Development Program (ODP) team in 1999, as well as the regional ODP team in 2002. Rapinoe is an advocate for numerous LGBT organizations, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Athlete Ally. In 2013, she was awarded the board of directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. She is sponsored by Nike, Procter & Gamble, BodyArmor, Hulu, LUNA Bar, Samsung, and DJO Global, and has appeared in multiple promotional pieces for clothing company Wildfang, as well as for Nike. In 2019, she co-founded a gender-neutral lifestyle brand, re-inc, with fellow athletes Christen Press, Tobin Heath, and Meghan Klingenberg. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. The same year, she was named FIFA World Player of the Year.
