The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Rapinoe is taking it all in but hoping for a little more magic
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Megan Rapinoe watched from the bench Thursday as the U.S. women’s national soccer team labored to a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands. Five days earlier, she had been a second-half substitute in a World Cup opener against Vietnam that was decided by halftime.
The star of World Cups and Olympics past, Rapinoe has accepted a secondary role at the final major tournament of her stellar career.
“I’m always shocked when I don’t play,” she said jokingly. “All of us on the bench, we think we should be on the field, as much as the players on the field think they should be on the field . . . . We know at some point during this tournament, the bench will be huge. That’s a huge asset of ours.”
Coach Vlatko Andonovski used the maximum five subs in the opener, including Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle, but in the second match, Lavelle was the only player to enter.
“The conversations I’ve had with Vlatko were, in general: When the time is right and the situation and the game is ready, I’ll be ready,” Rapinoe said Sunday during her first news conference since the tournament began. “I think I could have helped [against the Netherlands], but I think [Lynn Williams] could
have helped and [starter Trinity Rodman] was helping and [starter Sophia Smith] was helping. We had chances, and it was right there for us.”
Before announcing three weeks ago that she would retire at the end of the year, Rapinoe accepted her lesser role in the World Cup campaign. At 38, she no longer has the skill set and speed that have defined her 17year national team career.
But there is a place for her on a young roster, allowing her to offer leadership, guidance and wisdom. She still hopes to contribute a few magical moments on the
field, too.
“It’s been pretty much what I’ve been expecting,” Rapinoe said of her role. “We just have such experience on the bench and such a calm. And that’s our job. That’s our job to use everything I’ve seen over the last however many years and go in the locker room at halftime and be like, ‘This is what we see.’ . . . Ultimately [it’s about] being ready whenever my number is called up.”
That could come Tuesday against Portugal at Eden Park. The top-ranked United States (10-1) has yet to clinch a berth in the round of 16, and unless it wins by several goals and bolsters its goal differential (the first tiebreaker), it could end up second to the Netherlands (1-0-1) in Group E. Two teams will advance, but securing first place means avoiding third-ranked Sweden next weekend.
A loss to Portugal (1-1-0) would all but surely knock the Americans out of the tournament; they’ve never been eliminated before the semifinals. A draw would almost definitely leave them in second place in their group.
The United States has won all 10 meetings with Portugal by a 39-0 aggregate score. The Netherlands closes against Vietnam (0-2-0).
Rapinoe is the third consecutive U.S. superstar in her twilight to fill a secondary role at the World Cup, following Abby Wambach (2015) and Carli Lloyd (2019).
“Maybe you’re not going to be a starter playing the bulk of the games, but sometimes as a bench player, that’s not what you need,” Rapinoe said. “You need the 20 minutes in two games that wins the team the tournament or wins the team the game and gets to the next round.”
She said Wambach and Lloyd have been “an amazing example of being able to transition into that role. Wanting to do that and being willing to do that while also not just being like, ‘Oh, yeah, you guys go ahead.’ Every day in training, I’m like, ‘I’m going to bust your ass.’ That makes them better. That makes me better. That makes the whole team better.”
Pressure on the U.S. team to play to its potential Tuesday has been growing, Rapinoe said.
“That is something that just always gets passed down through the generations of this team,” she said. “Now we go into these moments like, ‘Hell yeah, this is exactly where we want to be.’ “
Although she is caught up in the moment, Rapinoe said she has allowed herself to reflect on her last big event and the growth of women’s soccer.
“The level of football being played right now . . . is incredible,” she said. “All the players should feel an immense sense of pride about the quality of the tournament. We’ve had to bet on ourselves so much, and we hit it every time.”
From a personal standpoint, Rapinoe said she appreciates seeing her friends and family, including fiancée Sue Bird, the retired basketball star, in the crowd.
“I’m trying to straddle sort of both realities of taking everything in and realizing this is one of the most special things I’ll ever do,” she said. “But also just being very much in the moment and doing whatever it is that’s necessary or whatever it takes to win another championship.”