Background and career
Megan Anna Rapinoe (born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder and winger. She spent most of her career playing for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. Winner of the Ballon d'Or Féminin and named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, Rapinoe was a member of the national teams that won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and 2019, and the team that finished second in 2011. She also won gold at the Olympics in 2012. Rapinoe co-captained the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan from 2018 to 2020. She previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence, and magicJack in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), as well as Lyon Women in France's Division 1 Féminine. Rapinoe's precise cross to Abby Wambach during the 2011 Women's World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil led to an equalizer goal and an eventual U.S. victory; the play received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. During the 2012 London Olympics, Rapinoe contributed three goals and four assists to lead the U.S. to a gold medal. She is the first player, male or female, to score a goal directly from a corner at the Olympic Games, having done so twice. She won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. Rapinoe is an advocate for various LGBTQIA+ organizations, including GLSEN and Athlete Ally. In 2013, she received the Board of Directors Award from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. Rapinoe was included in Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020. In July 2022, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
Rapinoe grew up in Redding, California, with her parents, Jim and Denise, and five siblings, including her fraternal twin Rachael Rapinoe. Rapinoe's older siblings Michael and Jenny are Denise's children from a previous marriage, while her older brother Brian is a child of Denise and Jim, as are Rapinoe and her twin. Rapinoe's father and her grandfather Jack both served in the United States Army. As a child, Rapinoe idolized Brian and started playing soccer at age three after watching him play. Brian began using drugs when Rapinoe was in second grade, and he was put in juvenile detention when he was fifteen and she was ten. He was subsequently in and out of various prisons including Pelican Bay State Prison. According to Rapinoe, Brian has made a determined effort to avoid drugs after witnessing her success in soccer.
Rapinoe spent most of her youth playing on soccer teams coached by her father. While attending Foothill High School, she competed in track and basketball, and was on the honor roll every semester. She played for the under-14 Northern California state Olympic Development Program (ODP) team in 1999, and for the regional ODP team in 2002. From 2002 to 2005, Rapinoe, her sister Rachael, and her future national teammate Stephanie Cox played for the Elk Grove Pride club team in the Women's Premier Soccer League. Rapinoe and her family would commute 2.5 hours so she could play with the team, which is based south of Sacramento. As a junior and senior, Rapinoe was named an All-American by Parade and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). During the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in 2003, Rapinoe scored an equalizer goal in the 18th minute to tie the game 1–1 against the Peachtree City Lazers. Elk Grove finished second in the tournament after the Lazers scored a game-winning goal in the second half. Rapinoe was named to the McDonald's All-American Girls High School Soccer West Team in 2004.
The Rapinoe twins attended the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. They almost committed to Santa Clara University before choosing to play for the Portland Pilots on full scholarships. Rapinoe played in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2004, where the United States finished third. As a freshman, Rapinoe helped the Pilots to an undefeated season and the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. During the College Cup quarterfinal against Notre Dame, she scored twice and served one assist as the Pilots won 3–1. During the College Cup final against UCLA, she contributed one goal and one assist in the Pilots' 4–0 victory. She was named NSCAA First Team All-American and was on the Soccer America First Team Freshman All-America. She made the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship All Tournament Team and was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team and the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team. Rapinoe started in all 25 games of the season as an attacking midfielder, scoring 15 goals—including seven game-winning goals—and serving 13 assists for 43 points, the fifth-highest point total for a freshman in the school's history. As a sophomore in 2006, Rapinoe was among the nation's leading scorers with ten goals and two assists in eleven matches. During a match against Washington State University on October 5, she suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Despite the injury, she was one of four Portland Pilots players in history with 25 goals and 15 assists over two seasons. In 2007, Rapinoe suffered her second season-ending ACL injury two games into the season. She was granted a medical hardship waiver by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) but did not use it. Rapinoe later said that getting injured was one of the best things that ever happened to her. She said it made her stronger and a "better person", and gave her a deeper appreciation for her endeavors as a soccer player. After recovering from her second ACL injury, Rapinoe returned for the 2008 season and was on the starting lineup in all 22 games for the Pilots. She scored five goals and served 13 assists, helping the team to a 20–2 record. Her 13 assists ranked first for the Pilots as well as in the West Coast Conference and she was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year. She was also named a Soccer America First-Team All-American and NSCAA Second Team All-American. Although she had one more season of college eligibility remaining due to her hardship waiver, she opted to enter the Women's Professional Soccer Draft instead. Rapinoe's 88-point career, including 30 goals and 28 assists over 60 games, ranks tenth in the school's history.
Rapinoe was selected second overall in the 2009 WPS Draft by the Chicago Red Stars for the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), the highest division of soccer in the United States at the time. She scored two goals and assisted on three others during her debut season for the Red Stars. In August 2009, she was named to the league's All-Star Team and played in the 2009 WPS All-Star Game against the Swedish team Umeå, who were champions of the Damallsvenskan league. In 2010, Rapinoe appeared in 20 games and scored one goal. In December 2010, Rapinoe signed with the expansion team Philadelphia Independence after the Red Stars ceased operations. She appeared in four games and scored one goal before being traded to MagicJack while she was in Germany for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. It was reported that the "cash considerations" involved in the transfer were $100,000, during a time when the average salary for a player in the league was $25,000. Rapinoe scored two goals in her eight regular-season appearances for MagicJack, helping the team finish third in the league standings and secure a spot in the playoffs. During the team's semifinal match against the Boston Breakers on August 17, 2011, Rapinoe scored a goal during the team's 3–1 win. MagicJack was defeated 2–0 by the Philadelphia Independence in the final. On October 25, the WPS voted to terminate the MagicJack franchise, leaving Rapinoe a free agent for the 2012 season. The league suspended operations in early 2012.
In October 2011, Rapinoe signed with the Australian W-League team Sydney FC as a guest player for two games. In her second game against Melbourne Victory, she scored with seven minutes remaining to secure Sydney's first win of the 2011–12 season. During the summer of 2012, Rapinoe and fellow national team members Hope Solo, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan and Stephanie Cox played on a limited basis with the Seattle Sounders Women between commitments with the national team as they prepared for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Sounders head coach Michelle French described Rapinoe as "one of the most exciting, unpredictable, creative, and flashy players in the women's game." Rapinoe made two appearances during the regular season with the team, serving two assists. With Rapinoe and her national teammates on the team, the Sounders sold out nine of their ten home matches at the 4,500-capacity Starfire Stadium. The average attendance for the Sounders during the 2012 season was four times higher than that of the team with the second-highest attendance.
