Megan Rapinoe

"Rapinoe" redirects here. For her twin sister, see Rachael Rapinoe.

Megan Rapinoe
Rapinoe with the United States in 2019
Personal information
Full name Megan Anna Rapinoe[1]
Date of birth (1985-07-05) July 5, 1985 (age 39)[2]
Place of birth Redding, California, U.S.
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Youth career
2002–2005 Elk Grove Pride
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2008 Portland Pilots 60 (30)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2010 Chicago Red Stars 38 (3)
2011 Philadelphia Independence 4 (1)
2011 MagicJack 10 (3)
2011 Sydney FC 2 (1)
2012 Seattle Sounders 2 (0)
2013–2014 Lyon 28 (8)
2013–2023 OL Reign[a] 121 (52)
Total 205 (68)
International career‡
2003–2005 United States U20 21 (9)
2006–2023 United States 203 (63)
Medal record
Women's soccer
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team
FIFA Women's World Cup
Winner 2015 Canada
Winner 2019 France
Runner-up 2011 Germany
CONCACAF W Championship
Winner 2014 United States
Winner 2018 United States
Winner 2022 Mexico
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 21, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of September 27, 2023

Megan Anna Rapinoe (/rəˈpiːnoʊ/ ⓘ; born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a winger. She spent most of her career playing for OL Reign[a] 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,[3][4] Rapinoe won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and played at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the U.S. finished second. Rapinoe co-captained the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan from 2018 to 2020.[5][6] 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 is internationally known for her crafty style of play and her activism off the pitch.[7][8][9] Her precise cross to Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil resulted in an equalizer and eventual win for the Americans after a penalty shootout. The last-minute goal received ESPN's 2011 ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. During the 2012 London Olympics, she scored three goals and tallied a team-high four assists to lead the United States to a gold medal. She is the first player, male or female, to score a goal directly from a corner at the 2012 Olympic Games, having done so twice. She won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.[10]

Rapinoe is an advocate for numerous 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.[11] In July 2022, Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.[12]

  1. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019 – List of Players: USA" (PDF). FIFA. July 7, 2019. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Megan Rapinoe". teamusa.org. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "Best Fifa Football Awards 2019: Megan Rapinoe wins ahead of Lucy Bronze and Alex Morgan". September 23, 2019. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Megan Rapinoe Wins Ballon d'Or as World's Best Player". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 2, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (October 3, 2018). "USWNT notebook: Scheduling, captains and other updates from World Cup qualifying camp". The Equalizer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (January 17, 2021). "Becky Sauerbrunn named USWNT captain, again". The Equalizer. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Kassouf, Jeff (June 28, 2013). "With Rapinoe, Solo, Seattle Reign FC finally putting the pieces together". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  8. ^ Saffer, Paul (August 16, 2013). "Hamm explains United States system". UEFA. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  9. ^ Voisin, Ailene (July 9, 2012). "Redding native Megan Rapinoe's soccer fortunes keep rising; Olympics ahead". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  10. ^ "Megan Rapinoe wins Golden Boot, Golden Ball at WWC". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "Megan Rapinoe: The 100 Most Influential People of 2020". Time. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  12. ^ "Denzel Washington, Simone Biles to Receive Presidential Medals of Freedom". The Hollywood Reporter. July 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.


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