Mystery solved: Captain Megan Rapinoe was benched for semifinal against England because of a hamstring injury as her team did her proud and progressed to World Cup final in Lyon with 2-1 victory
- Megan Rapinoe is reportedly nursing a hamstring injury after having been seen with tape on her leg during practice earlier on Tuesday
- Her absence at the semifinal against England threw America’s fate into turmoil
- The team did their captain proud and advanced to the final on Sunday July 7
- It is unclear whether Rapinoe will be back in the starting lineup for that match
- Rapinoe was the driving force in the prior knockout games vs France and Spain
- The captain entered this round tied for the Golden Boot – most goals scored in the World Cup – with teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White
- Rapinoe has made headlines this summer after angering the president by saying she will not visit the White House and by refusing to sing the national anthem
- Trump has yet to congratulate the team on the semifinal win
Megan Rapinoe watched the United States women’s national team defeat England in the Women’s World Cup semifinals from the bench after being sidelined with a suspected hamstring injury.
The captain had been the driving force in the two knockout games preceding the semifinal, so her sudden absence threw America’s fate into turmoil.
Rapinoe is nursing a hamstring injury and was seen with tape on her leg during practice earlier on Tuesday, Fox Sports reported.
She was dressed in uniform during Tuesday’s game but was not listed on coach Hill Ellis’ starting lineup and did not participate in warm ups.
Christen Press took Rapinoe’s place in the lineup vs England and made her presence known early, scoring the opening goal with a header in the 10th minute.
England was also down a starter as goalkeeper Karen Bardsley was also sidelined with a hamstring issue and Carly Telford took her spot.
Megan Rapinoe (center) was sidelined with a hamstring injury as the United States women’s national team took on England in the semifinals in Lyon, France
Dressed in uniform but without shin guards, Rapinoe supported her squad from the sidelines as they brought home a 2-1 victory over the Lionesses and earned a spot in the final
Rapinoe had been the driving force in the two knockout games preceding the semifinal, so her sudden absence threw America’s fate into turmoil. She is seen after scoring a goal vs France
Rapinoe has been leading her team’s strong performance through this year’s Cup and entered this round tied for the Golden Boot with teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White.
She scored all four US goals in the knockout rounds – two penalty kicks against Spain in the round of 16 and two against France in the quarterfinal – and five total in the tournament.
The American women did their captain proud in Tuesday’s match against the Lionesses, topping them 2-1 after a nail-biting second half.
There hasn’t been any word on whether Rapinoe will return for the final in Lyon on July 7.
The team will be taking on the winner of the semi-final between the Netherlands and Sweden on Wednesday.
Rapinoe wore a dissatisfied look on her face as she watched her team warm up without her
She was all smiles when congratulating her teammates and the competition after the game
Rapinoe entered the match tied for the most goals scored in the World Cup with teammate Alex Morgan. She is seen hugging Morgan on the field after she scored vs England
It’s unclear whether Rapinoe will be back in the starting lineup for the final on Sunday July 7
Aside from her athletic skill, Rapinoe has made headlines this summer after angering Trump by saying she will not visit the White House and by refusing to sing the national anthem.
Rapinoe was one of the first athletes outside of the NFL to kneel during the national anthem in support for Colin Kaepernick’s protest against police brutality.
The US Soccer Federation has since passed a rule compelling players to stand for the anthem. Rapinoe has adhered to the restriction but has steadfastly refused to sing The Star-Spangled Banner.
A self-described ‘walking protest’ to Trump, Rapinoe also enraged French fans by scoring twice in the 2-1 win and celebrating one of her two goals with by striking an elegant pose with one hand raised towards the sky like a ballerina.
Afterwards she did not hesitate to point out that it’s tough to win in women’s soccer ‘without gays on your team.’
President Trump has yet to congratulate the team on the semifinal win.