USWNT
Megan Rapinoe retires: will she play at the 2023 World Cup?
The icon of world football has decided to hang up her boots, but will she play in Australia & New Zealand?
Nothing in football is eternal, and unfortunately, Megan Rapinoe cannot escape the fact that her time has come. The USWNT star and icon of women’s sport has decided that this season will be her last, after which she will hang up her boots. At 38-years-old, Rapinoe has announced that she will retire when the 2023 NWSL season comes to an end, with US Soccer publishing a statement saying “[she] will play in her final World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand and then will finish the 2023 NWSL season with her long-time club OL Reign.”
Rapinoe herself tweeted the news, saying “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.”
Megan Rapinoe:
Will Megan Rapinoe play for the USWNT at the 2023 World Cup?
The 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will be her fourth and final World Cup. The player has two World Cup trophies to her name, which were won consecutively in 2015 and 2019, with her becoming the undisputed icon of the team in the latter tournament, thanks to her goals, skills and promotion of equal rights.
Megan Rapinoe has never been a person to shy away from promoting equality, something which has turned her into an example for women and men, young and old, all across the globe. Rapinoe told US Soccer: “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,” said Rapinoe. “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.”
When did Rapinoe make her debut for the USWNT?
Rapinoe’s debut for the US came against the Republic of Ireland in San Diego in 2006, and has now amassed 199 caps over 17 years; she will soon become the 14th U.S. player in history to reach 200 caps, which she will likely do against Wales (a game you can follow on AS USA). Currently, she has 63 international goals with 73 assists to her name, but, knowing Rapinoe, expect that number to grow before she finally bows out.