Megan Rapinoe, one of the stars of women’s soccer in the United States, is retiring from professional activity | Football | Sports

Saturday’s NWSL final in San Diego (California) will be the place to bid farewell to a dream for Megan Rapinoe, as… soccer Enter a new era.

With their win over San Diego Wave FC in the semi-finals, OL Reign of Seattle extended Rapinoe’s career by a few days, bringing down the curtain on her successful soccer career in the league final between her team and NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“It will be my last match. “It’s the end of the dream, the only thing left is to win,” Rapinoe was delighted on Sunday after the 1-0 win in the semi-finals.

The 38-year-old striker, a feminist and passionate campaigner for LGBT+ rights, will have the opportunity to win a title missing from her show in the final match of her career.

An Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and world champion in 2015 and 2019, the year she was named the world’s best female soccer player, Rapinoe called up the USA national team in September.

The striker ended a 17-year career with her national team, during which she played 203 international matches and scored 63 goals. But he left the American team with the taste of defeat against Sweden in the round of 16 of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Rapinoe missed a penalty kick in the match that left the United States without the possibility of fighting for its third consecutive world title.

Rapinoe, who has already missed playing with her national team, will conclude on Saturday at a time when the American League is entering a new dimension, especially financial.

The NWSL announced Thursday that it has sold the broadcast rights for $240 million over four years ESPN, CBS, Prime Video And ScrippsAny amount exceeding 40 times the current contract. The new contract stipulates broadcasting 118 matches per season instead of 30.

“This agreement changes things profoundly for our league and for the players who take to its courts every weekend,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman commented.

He added: We have achieved the goal of “making games available to fans and a new audience (…) while achieving the income that our players deserve and our investors expect.”

The final match of the Old Era will be a title battle between Gotham and Ole Rennes, two “surprise” teams that finished sixth and fourth respectively in the regular season, and managed to beat the best clubs away from home in the semifinals. .before Playoffs (Portland and San Diego).

Rapinoe’s departure will not be the only farewell that night. It will also be the last game for Ali Krieger, 39, the captain of Gotham and another iconic figure for the team. soccer, Who leaves with 108 caps and a two-time world champion. (Dr)