Megan Rapinoe is set to play her last ever game for USA women's national team this month




Soccer star Megan Rapinoe is set to play her final game with the USA national team.
The footballer has had an illustrious career and will finish her international career with an impressive 203 appearances for the US national team.

Only 13 other players have ever managed to reach 200 appearances for their country - so it's certainly an impressive feat.

She also scored some 63 career goals and 73 assists for the US women’s side, and took part in the London 2012 Olympics, helping the US side to win a gold medal.
Her 'farewell game' will be a match against South Africa in Chicago on 24 September, US Soccer confirmed in an announcement on Saturday (26 August).

She will also be honoured before the match, they reported.

Speaking about her upcoming retirement, she said in a press release: “People may think that my career coming to an end would bring sadness, but when I think back on the past 30-plus years of playing this game, my overriding emotions are joy and gratitude.

“It’s been an unbelievable ride. It will be special to have this one last opportunity to play for my country in front of our incredible fans and get the chance to thank my teammates and everyone who has had an impact on me as a person and player over the years.”

USWNT general manager, Kate Markgraf, also described her as a 'generational talent'.

"When you talk about players performing on the biggest stages, she's right up there with the best to ever do it." she added.

In 2019, she won the Golden Ball for Best Player at the Women's World Cup, as well as also scooping the Golden Boot for being the top scorer in the tournament.

She also won the Ballon d’Or Féminin and FIFA’s The Best award in the same year.

Earlier this year, Papinoe announced that this football season would be her last and she would be retiring at the end of the season.
She said: “I’m just grateful to be able to do it in this way. I understand that it is incredibly rare for athletes of any stature to be able to go out in their own way, on their own terms, at the time that they want, in a way that feels really peaceful and settled for them.”

In addition to her incredible feats on the field, Rapinoe has become known as a fierce advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for greater equality in women's sports, both on and off the field.

This included claiming that women's sports is being 'weaponised' against the trans community.

In an July interview with Time Magazine, she said: "It's particularly frustrating when women's sports is weaponised.

"Oh, now we care about fairness? Now we care about women's sports? That's total bulls**t.

"And show me all the trans people who are nefariously taking advantage of being trans in sports.

"It’s just not happening."




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