Often criticized for her condemnation of President Donald Trump, her preemptive decision against visiting the White House, and her refusal to sing the national anthem with her hand over her heart, United States women’s soccer team captain Megan Rapinoe defended her patriotism in on Wednesday.
‘I think that I’m particularly and uniquely and very deeply American,’ Rapinoe told reporters. ‘If we want to talk about the ideals that we stand for, all the songs and the anthem and sort of what we were founded on, I think I’m extremely American.’
Rapinoe missed Tuesday’s 2-1 semi-final win over England due to a hamstring, but practiced Wednesday and expects to play in Sunday’s final against the winner of the Netherlands-Sweden match.
The openly gay social advocate has been outspoken on a number of issues, including LGBTQ rights and the ongoing legal battle between the U.S. women’s national team and U.S. Soccer over the wage discrepancy between themselves and their male counterparts. Rapinoe also helped to raise money for wildfire victims in her native California last year.
Rapinoe had scored all four goals for the U.S. in successive 2-1 knockout stage wins over Spain and France , but coach Jill Ellis did not struggle to replace the California native. In Rapinoe’s place, Christen Press scored the opening goal on a beautiful header in Tuesday’s 2-1 win and nearly connected on several other chances throughout the game
While she has her critics, Megan Rapinoe also has tremendous support in the stands
In response to her activism, Rapinoe has taken her share of criticism from, among others, the President.
On Twitter, Trump slammed Rapinoe for saying she ‘won’t go the f***ing White House’ if the team wins the World Cup. (She previously visited then-President Barack Obama’s White House in 2015 after the U.S. won that year’s World Cup)
Trump also complained that Rapinoe wasn’t singing the national anthem.
She previously knelt during the anthem in solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests over inequality and racist police brutality, but since then, the U.S. Soccer Federation has since passed a rule compelling players to stand for the anthem. Rapinoe, who will turn 34 on Friday, has adhered to the restriction, but has steadfastly refused to sing The Star-Spangled Banner.
To her critics, Rapinoe asks that they focus on the social issues she’s protesting – and not necessarily what they think about her.
‘I think for the detractors, I would have them look hard into what I’m actually saying and the actions that I’m doing,’ Rapinoe said. ‘Maybe you don’t agree with every single way that I do it, and that can be discussed. I know that I’m not perfect.
Rapinoe previously knelt during the anthem in solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protests over inequality and racist police brutality, but since then, the U.S. Soccer Federation has since passed a rule compelling players to stand for the anthem. Rapinoe, who will turn 34 on Friday, has adhered to the restriction, but has steadfastly refused to sing The Star-Spangled Banner
On Twitter, Trump slammed Rapinoe for saying she ‘won’t go the f***ing White House’ if the team wins the World Cup. He also complained that Rapinoe wasn’t singing the national anthem
Although she refuses to visit the Trump White House, Rapinoe seemed thrilled to meet then-President Barack Obama in 2015 after the U.S. women won their third World Cup
The openly gay social advocate has been outspoken on a number of issues, including LGBTQ rights and the ongoing legal battle between the U.S. women’s national team and U.S. Soccer over the wage discrepancy between themselves and their male counterparts. Rapinoe also helped to raise money for wildfire victims in her native California last year
‘But I think I stand for honesty, for truth and for wanting to have the conversation. And for looking at the country honestly and saying, yes, we are a great country and there are many things that are so amazing — and I feel very fortunate to be in this country. I’d never be able to do this in a lot of other places.
‘But also, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get better. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t always strive to be better. I think that this country was founded on a lot of great ideals, but it was also founded on slavery.
United States soccer captain Megan Rapinoe believes she strained her right hamstring during the second half of Friday’s win. She is expected to play in Sunday’s World Cup final
‘And I think we just need to be really honest about that and be really open in talking about that, so we can reconcile that and hopefully move forward and make this country better for everyone.’
Even Rapinoe’s father Jim disagrees with some of her politics or her use of expletives, but he still admires her resolve.
‘She has her views, they’re a little bit different than mine, but she’s my daughter,’ he told Northern California’s ABC affiliate. ‘I love her. I love for what she stands for.
‘I don’t necessarily like some of the way she’s gone about it, but, the f-bomb thing. If she hadn’t said that, nobody would have paid attention to that statement, but that’s her, that’s who she is.’
After missing Tuesday’s win with a strained hamstring, Rapinoe expects to back for Sunday’s World Cup Final in Lyon.
‘I’m expecting to be fit for the final and ready to go,’ Rapinoe said of the right hamstring injury after the game. ‘It’s getting better.’
She practiced with the team in Lyon on Wednesday.
Rapinoe had scored all four goals for the U.S. in successive 2-1 knockout stage wins over Spain and France, but coach Jill Ellis did not struggle to replace the California native.
Rapinoe (bottom) grew up in California with five siblings, including her fraternal twin Rachael. Rapinoe’s father Jim disagrees with some of her politics or her use of expletives, but he still admires her resolve: ‘I love her. I love for what she stands for’
In Rapinoe’s place, Christen Press scored the opening goal on a beautiful header in Tuesday’s 2-1 win and nearly connected on several other chances throughout the game.
‘It’s not really even a strain,’ Rapinoe said. ‘But not really able to go today. [The team] just felt like it wasn’t going to hold up. We have been talking about this depth that we have for months and months and months and all throughout the tournament. It was on full display tonight.
‘We just felt like that was the best option, not only for myself but for the team,’ Rapinoe said of the decision to rest against England.
Rapinoe believes she suffered the injury during the second half of Friday’s win over host France. She remained in the game until the 87th.
She did not even bother to warm up on Tuesday, prompting speculation over the decision, but reports of the hamstring injury surfaced before the end of the game.
Rapinoe’s currently ranks third in World Cup scoring with five goals, behind teammate Alex Morgan and England’s Ellen White, both of whom scored their sixth on Tuesday.