Megan Rapinoe targets more pressure at Spanish federation

The legend of the women’s soccer game in the United States, and a loud voice for various important causes, spoke to the gathered media ahead of the USWNT’s World Cup warm up game against the Spain. If you’re unaware of the background to some of this, we brought you the story of Megan Rapinoe’s initial opinion on the situation.

Rapinoe reiterates support for Spanish women

What do you think of the conflict between several players and the Federation in the Spanish National Team?

I feel like I can really empathize with the players. It seems that everything the players have done has come out in a very respectful way, expressing their concerns about the team. They express where it has to be. To take care of it and have a professional environment in the way they are treated. Obviously, we have been in that situation many times, so I know how difficult it is to do it.

What do you think could be the solution?

I hope they stay together and keep communicating with each other. For the federation, I don’t think anything is ever resolved without communicating, let alone communicating in a disrespectful way, as I think they did to the players. So I would encourage everyone to get together and keep communicating. What they want is to become the best team in the world and win championships. To keep growing the team. There are some of the best players in the world, the best player of last season, resigning from the national team. So it’s very sad to see. But as we have seen in our country and elsewhere, players still have to fight for what seems to be the bare minimum... treatment, resources and general respect. I’m always with the players 100%.

Have you been able to speak to any of the players who are involved in this matter?

I haven’t spoken with the players directly, obviously I heard what has come out in public, and chatter in and around... I think it continues to be the same issues that are all over the world, in a lot of ways. Are the resources up to par? Are they getting everything they need on and off the field? The treatment of the players and continuing to professionalize the environment as much as possible, is what seems is quite reasonable, what they were asking for. So I hope that the Federation can let its guard down a bit and be able to speak to the players. That they can have an open and honest conversation and say where the programe needs to get better and take that constructive criticism on to ultimately push on with the World Cup less than 12 months away.

Can you imagine this Spain team at the World Cup?

Obviously the World Cup would be less if the Spanish team wasn’t at its very best. We expect it to be a very tough game. Every time we play against Spain it is very difficult. They play the ball very well. So we will have to be very organized and disciplined. They got a good result in the last match against Sweden. So we expect a great game. We know that many players are missing and we know more or less what surrounds the match. I’m looking forward to competing against that team and seeing them afterwards and shaking their hands: changing jerseys and showing our support in person as well.

What do you think about the abuses that have come to light a few days ago in the United States? Why was there silence?

It’s incredibly disappointing, frustrating and horrible that they went silent like they did. I know the players were not silent. Should we have said more, done more, boycott games or whatever? We said it in private. We told each other. We told people in positions of power whose responsibility it was to take care of us and listen to those concerns. We were telling the federation, we were telling everyone, so I don’t know why they were silent. Perhaps to protect themselves. But it is incredibly disappointing.