Megan Rapinoe

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. == Youth career ==

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. Rapinoe and her family commuted 2.5 hours to play with the team, which is based south of Sacramento. Rapinoe was named to the McDonald's All-American Girls High School Soccer West Team in 2004. == College career ==

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. Despite the injury, she was one of four Portland Pilots players in history with 25 goals and 15 assists over two seasons. 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. Rapinoe's 88-point career, including 30 goals and 28 assists over 60 games, ranks tenth in the school's history. == Club career ==

2009–2011: Women's Professional Soccer 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. 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. 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, 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. match in 2011 2011–2012: Sydney FC and Seattle Sounders 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. She later scored a goal and served an assist in a 6–1 win over Juvisy in the semifinal. Lyon was defeated by VfL Wolfsburg 1–0 in the final. Rapinoe scored three goals in her eight appearances for the club. During the 2013–14 Champions League, she made four appearances for Lyon and scored one goal. In June 2013, Rapinoe left Lyon earlier than planned to play for Seattle Reign FC. During her time with Lyon, Rapinoe scored eight goals in 28 matches across all competitions. 2013–2023: Seattle Reign In June 2013, Rapinoe joined Seattle Reign FC in the middle of their inaugural season. With the addition of Rapinoe and Hope Solo, as well as some other lineup changes, the Reign improved their goal-scoring ability and turned their league record around. During a 4–1 victory over the Chicago Red Stars, Rapinoe scored two goals and served one assist, and was named NWSL Player of the Week for week 16. Despite playing only 12 of the Reign's 22 regular-season games, Rapinoe was the team's leading scorer with five goals. After suffering a foot injury during the first home match of the 2014 season on April 14, Rapinoe sat out several games. She returned to play on July 3 against Western New York Flash. Her four goals and one assist during the season helped the Reign secure the league's regular-season title, the NWSL Shield, with a record. During the playoff semifinals against Washington Spirit, Rapinoe scored a goal as the Reign won 2–1 and advanced to the championship final against Kansas City. The Reign lost the final 2–1, with Rapinoe scoring one goal. During the first match of the 2015 season, Rapinoe scored her first professional hat-trick as the Reign defeated the Western New York Flash 5–1. She was named the NWSL Player of the Week for week 1 of the season. In September 2019, the Reign recognized Rapinoe as a Reign Legend. During the 2021 season, Rapinoe co-captained the team with Lauren Barnes and scored six goals in 12 appearances. In August 2021, Rapinoe was named NWSL Player of the Month. The Reign finished in second place during the regular season with a record; they were eliminated from the NWSL Playoffs by the eventual champions Washington Spirit. On July 8, 2023, Rapinoe announced that she would retire from professional soccer after the 2023 season. Her final home match with the Reign on October 6 drew a league-record attendance of 34,130, and included a ceremony honoring her. == International career ==

Youth national teams Rapinoe played for the U.S. Under-16 team in 2002, traveling with the team to France. She played at the U.S. Youth Soccer Association International Tournament in Houston in May 2003. From 2003 to 2005, Rapinoe played for the national U-19 team, making 21 appearances and scoring nine goals. She played for the team Mexico in March 2003 and in the Netherlands and Germany during a European tour in July of that year. She played in three matches at the 2004 CONCACAF U-19 qualifying tournament, scoring three goals. During the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in Thailand, Rapinoe scored another three goals, including one against Brazil that secured a third-place finish for the United States. Senior national team 2006–2009: National team debut and injury recovery Rapinoe trained with the U.S national team for the first time during the team's 2006 Residency Training Camp in Carson, California. She made her debut for the senior team on July 23, 2006, during a friendly match against Ireland. She scored her first two goals with the team on October 1, 2006, during a friendly against Taiwan. During the group stage of the 2009 Algarve Cup, Rapinoe scored the game-winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Norway. The U.S. was eventually defeated by Sweden in the final. During a group stage match against Colombia at the World Cup, Rapinoe scored to put the United States up 2–0. She celebrated her goal by picking up an on-field microphone being used for the match's television broadcast and singing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." During the World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil, Rapinoe's precise cross allowed Abby Wambach to score an equalizer goal in the 122nd minute of the game, setting a record for the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match. The play later received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Play of the Year. With the U.S. and Brazil now tied 2–2 in the quarterfinal, the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Rapinoe scored her penalty kick as the U.S. won the shoot-out and advanced to the semifinals. Following the match, Rapinoe was named ESPN's Next Level Player of the Week for completing five of ten crosses while the rest of the team was 0 for 18. During the World Cup final against Japan—which was broadcast to a record-breaking international television audience—Rapinoe served her third assist of the tournament to Alex Morgan, who scored the game-opening goal. After the World Cup, Rapinoe's hometown of Redding honored her with a parade and declared September 10, 2011 "Megan Rapinoe Day". 2012 London Olympics At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Rapinoe scored once in her team's 3–0 group stage victory over Colombia. She scored two goals in the semifinal as the U.S. defeated Canada 4–3. Her first goal of the semifinal was scored directly from a corner kick. She was the first player of any gender to score what is termed an "Olimpico" goal at the Olympics, and is still the only player to have accomplished it. . Rapinoe is one of only five female players who have scored two goals during an Olympic semifinal. The U.S. won the gold medal after defeating Japan 2–1 at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,203 spectators—the largest crowd ever for a women's Olympic soccer game. Rapinoe served one assist during the final, and finished the tournament with three goals and four assists. Rapinoe achieved a career-best eight goals and 12 assists for the national team in 2012. 2013–2014 At the 2013 Algarve Cup in Portugal, Rapinoe was named the Player of the Tournament, despite playing in only two of the four matches in which the U.S. competed. She was injured in practice and did not play during the final as the team defeated Germany to win the tournament. During a friendly match against South Korea on June 20, Rapinoe's corner kick ended up being the assist for Abby Wambach's 159th international goal, which set a new world record for most international goals scored by a player of any gender. During a friendly against New Zealand in October, Rapinoe scored the game-opening goal on a direct free kick to help the U.S. win 4–1. Rapinoe was named Player of the Match. 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Five of the six stadiums used for the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada utilized artificial turf. It was the first World Cup, for men or women, to use turf instead of grass. Rapinoe criticized the use of turf, stating that grass is essential to maintain the quality and "purity" of the game. In the United States' first group stage match against Australia, Rapinoe scored twice as her team achieved a 3–1 victory. The U.S. went on to win the tournament. During training for a Victory Tour match to celebrate the World Cup win, Rapinoe tore her ACL. Following the victory, Rapinoe and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City. Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio. In October, the team was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House. 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal against England. The 2019 Women's World Cup was Rapinoe's third World Cup appearance. In a 13–0 win over Thailand during the group stage, she scored a goal. During the knockout stage, Rapinoe scored twice in a 2–1 victory over Spain. In the quarterfinal, she scored another two goals as the U.S. defeated France. Rapinoe was named Player of the Match by FIFA for her performances in the round of 16 and the quarterfinal. Due to an injured hamstring, Rapinoe was forced to sit out during the United States' semifinal victory over England, but she recovered in time to start in the final against the Netherlands. She scored her 50th international goal on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. After a second goal by teammate Rose Lavelle, the U.S. won the match 2–0 and achieved a second consecutive World Cup victory. At age 34, Rapinoe was the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final and was named Player of the Match. Following the victory, New York City honored the national team with a ticker tape parade. Rapinoe and her teammates were invited to Washington, D.C. by Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Nancy Pelosi. 2021–2023: Tokyo Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup On August 5, 2021, Rapinoe scored two goals—including her second career "Olimpico" goal—during a 4–3 win over Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which had been postponed until 2021. The victory earned the United States the bronze medal. In February 2022, the U.S. national team coach, Vlatko Andonovski, announced that Rapinoe would not be included on the roster for the SheBelieves Cup. On July 8, 2023, Rapinoe stated that the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia would be her last major tournament, and that she would retire from professional soccer at the end of the year. == Endorsements ==

Rapinoe had endorsement deals with Nike and Samsung. In 2013, she appeared in advertisements for the clothing company Wildfang and began a partnership with the medical device company DJO Global. In 2016, she appeared in television commercials and print advertisements for Vitamin Water, and was featured in a Nike commercial starring Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2019, she was sponsored by Procter & Gamble, BodyArmor, Hulu, LUNA Bar, and VISA. In 2021, she was announced as one of the new faces of Victoria's Secret, and appeared in advertisements for Subway. Rapinoe co-starred in a commercial for ESPN's SportsCenter in January 2023 with Becky Sauerbrunn and Sophia Wilson. In July 2023, she starred in a television commercial for Google Pixel. == Activism ==

On September 4, 2016, Rapinoe knelt during the U.S. national anthem at a NWSL match in solidarity with National Football League player Colin Kaepernick and his protests against racial injustice in the United States. In a post-match interview, she stated: "Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it." Later that week, managers of the Washington Spirit prevented Rapinoe from carrying out her kneeling protest during a game between the Spirit and the Reign in Washington, D.C. The Spirit managers, who felt Rapinoe's protests were disrespectful, played the anthem before players entered the field, so she could not "hijack" the ceremony. On September 15, Rapinoe knelt during the anthem at an international match against Thailand. U.S. Soccer then issued a statement saying they expected players to stand for the anthem. During the 2015 World Cup, Rapinoe stood in silence for the national anthem. Her teammate, Hope Solo, claimed that Rapinoe almost bullied players into kneeling during the anthem, but Solo did not specify when this occurred. In a 2019 interview, Rapinoe expressed displeasure with the stance of U.S. Soccer and said she would probably never sing the national anthem again. in March 2021.Rapinoe has been involved in the women's team's equal pay complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since at least 2016. In March 2019, she, along with 27 of her U.S. Women's soccer teammates filed a lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation accusing it of gender discrimination, hoping to achieve equal pay. In May of the following year, a judge dismissed key parts of the lawsuit, including the complaint over receiving lower pay than the U.S. men's team, but allowed other claims to move to trial. Rapinoe is a longtime advocate for the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports. She has characterized attempts to exclude transgender women as an effort to "legislate away people's full humanity". == In popular culture ==

Print media Rapinoe was profiled in the July 2012 edition of Out and in the August 6, 2012, edition of Sports Illustrated. She was featured on the cover of the March 2013 edition of Curve. The April 11, 2013, edition of The New York Times featured an article that discussed her experience of coming out publicly before the 2012 Olympics. In 2019, she became the first openly gay woman in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was featured on multiple covers of Sports Illustrated, Marie Claire, and InStyle  the same year. In 2020, Rapinoe published an autobiography, One Life, which details her early life, her career highlights and setbacks, her activism for racial and gender equality and her personal relationships. The book became a New York Times best seller and was optioned by Sony Pictures Television. Film and television Rapinoe has made appearances on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Today Show, The Rachel Maddow Show, Meet the Press, Good Morning America  and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and voiced herself in an episode of The Simpsons thirty-sixth season. In 2012, she appeared in an ESPN feature called Title IX is Mine: USWNT, and was the focus of a Fox Soccer feature called Fox Soccer Exclusive: Megan Rapinoe. In 2016, Rapinoe starred with national teammates Hope Solo and Crystal Dunn in a documentary series called Keeping Score, which was broadcast by Fullscreen. The series follows the athletes as they prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics and addresses issues such as equal pay and racism. Rapinoe, Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Chloe Kim and other women athletes were featured in Nike's "Dream Crazier" advertisement, which was shown during the 91st Academy Awards in February 2019. Later that year, Rapinoe made a cameo appearance on Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q. In 2023, Rapinoe appeared in the Netflix documentary series Under Pressure, which follows the U.S. women's national team as they prepare for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Fashion, games and toys According to Vogue, Rapinoe has developed her own signature look and possesses the swagger and attitude of a style icon. The Guardian said Rapinoe has a "diverse approach to clothes" and referred to her as "an expert in mixing and matching." In 2020, Rapinoe became the spokeswoman for the luxury fashion brand Loewe, and in 2022 she partnered with Nike to create a clothing collection called "Victory Redefined". In 2023, Rapinoe was included in the LEGO Icons of Play set. == Personal life ==

Relationships Rapinoe knew she was a lesbian by her first year in college. She publicly came out in the July 2012 edition of Out magazine, stating that she had been in a relationship with Australian soccer player Sarah Walsh since 2009. After five years together, Rapinoe and Walsh ended their relationship in 2013. Rapinoe then dated the singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone. Rapinoe and Cahoone announced their engagement in August 2015. In January 2017, Rapinoe said their wedding plans were on hold. On July 20, 2017, Rapinoe and basketball player Sue Bird of Seattle Storm confirmed that they had been dating since late 2016. In 2018, Bird and Rapinoe became the first same-sex couple on the cover of ESPN's The Body Issue. They announced their engagement on October 30, 2020. In April 2026, Rapinoe and Bird announced they had separated after 10 years as a couple. In a 2020 interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, Rapinoe discussed the drug abuse of her older brother Brian, who had inspired her to play soccer when they were children. She explained that during his incarceration, he became involved with white supremacist groups in prison. Philanthropy Rapinoe has done philanthropic work for the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. In 2013, she became an ambassador for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit organization that focuses on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports. In September 2017, Rapinoe and U.S. teammate Alex Morgan were the first two women soccer players to sign on to the "Common Goal" campaign created by Juan Mata of Manchester United. As participants in the campaign, players donate one percent of their individual wages to soccer-related charities. Politics In December 2019, Rapinoe endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. During the opening night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Rapinoe hosted a panel with frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapinoe was one of several athletes to criticize the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. She had been one of 500 former and current athletes who signed an amicus brief supporting abortion rights for the Supreme Court case in September 2021. ==Career statistics==

Club International goals } ;Note == Achievements and honors ==

Lyon • Division 1 Féminine: 2012–13 • Coupe de France Féminine: 2012–13 Seattle Reign FC United States • 2x FIFA Women's World Cup champion: 2015, 2019 • Olympic Bronze Medal: 2021 2015 • 3x CONCACAF Women's Championship champion: 2014, 2018, 2022 • 4x SheBelieves Cup champion: 2018, 2020, 2023 • Tournament of Nations champion: 2018 • CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2020 2015, 2017 (x2), 2018 (x2) • 4x NWSL Second XI: 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 • NWSL Best XI: 2018 • IFFHS World's Best Woman Playmaker: 2019 • IFFHS Women's World Team: 2019 • The Best FIFA Women's Player: 2019 • FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2019 • FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Boot: 2019 • FIFPro World XI: 2019, 2020 • FIFA Women's World Cup Final Player of the Match: 2019 • Ballon d'Or Féminin: 2019 • IFFHS CONCACAF Woman Team of the Decade 2011–2020 Other • Harry Glickman Professional Female Athlete of the Year award: 2012 • Los Angeles LGBT Center Board of Directors Award: 2012 • Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame: 2014 • National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame: 2015 • Seattle Sounders FC Golden Scarf: 2015 • ESPY Award for Best Team: 2015, 2019 as a member of the USWNT • Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year: 2019 • Time 100 Most Influential People: 2020 • ESPY Award for Best Play: 2011, == See also ==