Ahead of the international friendly against South Africa, 38-year-old Rapinoe was presented with a framed soccer jersey bearing a nod to her 203 caps for the United States.
Rapinoe also impressed in her farewell match. Although both hits were attributed to Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett, she was the reporter both times. Moreover, she was also on the verge of getting injured herself. However, she fired a free kick just over the bar, putting her goal total for the USA at 63.
At her peak, at the 2019 World Cup in France, she scored six goals and was awarded the Golden Ball as best player. In the same year, she also won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball. In 2022, she became the first female soccer player to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Joe Biden.
Rapinoe announced her departure in July. She can look back on her impressive sporting career in which she won two world titles and an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. But she also made an impression off the field with her fight for equal pay, social justice and gay rights.
Rapinoe still has a few regular-season games left for her Reign club, including a farewell game in front of fans in Seattle on Oct. 6, before her playing career finally comes to an end. “It was a great honor to wear this shirt, to play with all these players and to fulfill my childhood dream,” Rapinoe said at the farewell ceremony.
