Megan Anna Rapinoe is an American professional soccer player who plays as a winger for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League, as well as the United States national team.
99 Facts About Megan Rapinoe
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Winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin and named The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2019, Rapinoe won gold with the national team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and she played for the team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where the US finished in second place.
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Megan Rapinoe co-captained the national team alongside Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan from 2018 to 2020.
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Megan Rapinoe previously played for the Chicago Red Stars, Philadelphia Independence, and MagicJack in Women's Professional Soccer, as well as Olympique Lyon in France's Division 1 Feminine.
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Megan Rapinoe is internationally known for her crafty style of play on the field and her activism off it.
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Megan Rapinoe is the first player, male or female, to score a goal directly from a corner at the Olympic Games, having done so twice.
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Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.
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Megan Rapinoe was included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.
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In July 2022, Megan Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
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Megan Rapinoe grew up in Redding, California, with her parents, Jim and Denise, and five siblings, including her fraternal twin Rachael Megan Rapinoe.
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Megan Rapinoe idolized her older brother Brian and started playing soccer at age three after watching him play the sport, but he started using drugs when the girls were in second grade.
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For Rachael and Megan Rapinoe, soccer was a means to get away from the drug abuse that is widespread in rural California.
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Megan Rapinoe spent most of her youth playing with teams coached by her father until high school.
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Megan Rapinoe competed in track as a freshman and sophomore; competed in basketball as a freshman, sophomore, and senior; and was on the honor roll every semester of high school.
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Megan Rapinoe was named Parade and National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American as a junior and senior.
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Megan Rapinoe was named to McDonald's All-American Girls High School Soccer West Team in 2004.
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Megan Rapinoe played for the under-14 Northern California state Olympic Development Program team in 1999, as well as the regional ODP team in 2002.
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From 2002 to 2005, Megan Rapinoe played for Elk Grove Pride in the Women's Premier Soccer League along with her sister, Rachael, and future national teammate, Stephanie Cox.
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Megan Rapinoe played in the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship in 2004, where the United States finished third.
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In 2005, as a freshman, Megan Rapinoe helped the Pilots to an undefeated season and the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
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Megan Rapinoe was named NSCAA First Team All-American and was on the Soccer America First Team Freshman All-America.
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Megan Rapinoe made the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship All Tournament Team and was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year.
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Megan Rapinoe was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team and the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team.
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In 2007, Megan Rapinoe suffered her second season-ending ACL injury two games into the season.
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Megan Rapinoe was granted a medical hardship waiver by the National Collegiate Athletic Association but did not use it.
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Megan Rapinoe was named a Soccer America First-Team All-American and NSCAA Second Team All-American.
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Megan Rapinoe was selected second overall in the 2009 WPS Draft by the Chicago Red Stars for the inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer, the highest division of soccer in the United States at the time.
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Megan Rapinoe was on the starting lineup in 17 of the 18 games in which she appeared for the Red Stars for a total of 1,375 minutes on the pitch.
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In December 2010, Megan Rapinoe signed with expansion team Philadelphia Independence after the Chicago Red Stars ceased operations.
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Megan Rapinoe 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.
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Megan Rapinoe scored two goals in her eight regular season appearances for MagicJack helping the team finish third in the league standings and secure a spot in the playoffs.
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In October 2011, Megan Rapinoe signed with Australian W-League team Sydney FC as a guest player for two games.
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Megan Rapinoe concluded her Champions League debut having made five appearances, scoring two goals and serving one assist.
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In January 2014, it was announced that Megan Rapinoe had ended her time with Lyon earlier than planned and would be returning to the Seattle Reign for the entire 2014 season.
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Megan Rapinoe finished her time with Lyon having scored 8 goals in 28 matches in all competitions.
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In 2013, Megan Rapinoe joined Seattle Reign FC to which she had been previously allocated in the National Women's Soccer League.
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Megan Rapinoe was named the league's NWSL Player of the Week for week 1 of the season.
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Megan Rapinoe played for the United States under-16 national soccer team in 2002 and traveled with the team to France and Houston, Texas.
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Megan Rapinoe played at the United States Youth Soccer Association International Tournament in Houston in May 2003.
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From 2003 to 2005, Megan Rapinoe played for the United States under-19 team.
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Megan Rapinoe traveled with the team during a European tour to the Netherlands and Germany in July 2003.
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Megan Rapinoe scored her first goal with the team against Mexico on March 1,2003.
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Megan Rapinoe played in three matches at the 2004 CONCACAF Under-19 qualifying tournament, scoring three goals.
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Megan Rapinoe trained with the United States women's national soccer team for the first time during the team's 2006 Residency Training Camp in Carson, California.
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Megan Rapinoe made her debut for the senior team on July 23,2006, during a friendly match against Ireland.
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Megan Rapinoe scored her first two goals on October 1,2006, during a friendly match against Taiwan.
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Megan Rapinoe was on the starting lineup in six of the seven games in which she played the same year.
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In 2010, Megan Rapinoe started eight of the ten games she played and scored four goals with two assists.
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Megan Rapinoe scored against Sweden and China and twice against Guatemala at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, in which she played three games.
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Megan Rapinoe was named to the United States roster for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.
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Megan Rapinoe celebrated her goal by running to the corner to the left of Colombia's goal, picking up an on-field microphone being used for the match's television broadcast, tapping it, and singing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" into it.
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Megan Rapinoe played in all six games for the United States.
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Megan Rapinoe helped lead the United States to a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
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Megan Rapinoe is the first and so far only player, male or female, to score an Olimpico at the Olympic Games.
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Megan Rapinoe assisted on Carli Lloyd's second goal of the final in the 53rd minute.
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Megan Rapinoe ended the tournament with three goals and a team-high of four assists.
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Widely regarded as one of the top players of the Olympics, Megan Rapinoe was named to numerous 'Team of the Tournament' lists including those selected by the BBC and All White Kit.
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Megan Rapinoe achieved a career-best 8 goals and 12 assists for the United States in 2012.
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At the 2013 Algarve Cup in Portugal, Megan Rapinoe was named the Player of the Tournament, despite playing in only two of the four matches in which the United States competed.
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Megan Rapinoe was injured in practice and did not play during the final as the team defeated Germany to win the 2013 Algarve Cup.
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Megan Rapinoe scored a second goal in the 78th minute.
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Megan Rapinoe was named to the United States' 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup roster in May 2019; it was her third World Cup appearance.
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Megan Rapinoe later added a second goal, and the US held on to earn a semi-final berth.
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Megan Rapinoe was named Player of the Match by FIFA for her performances in the round of 16 and quarterfinals.
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At age 34, Megan Rapinoe was the oldest woman to score in a World Cup final and was named Player of the Match.
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Megan Rapinoe was awarded the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the tournament with six goals, having played fewer minutes than her teammate Alex Morgan and England's Ellen White, who recorded six goals.
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Megan Rapinoe earned the Golden Ball award as the best player at the tournament.
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Megan Rapinoe has stated that she knew that she was a lesbian by her first year in college.
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Megan Rapinoe 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.
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In January 2017, Megan Rapinoe stated that their wedding plans were on hold.
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In 2018, Bird and Megan Rapinoe became the first same-sex couple on the cover of ESPN's The Body Issue.
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Megan Rapinoe has spent periods of time in jail, including solitary confinement.
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Megan Rapinoe explained that during his incarceration, her brother became involved with white supremacist groups within prison.
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Megan Rapinoe garnered national attention for kneeling during the national anthem at an international match in September 2016 in solidarity with NFL Colin Kaepernick.
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Megan Rapinoe spoke out against the use of stadiums with artificial turf, its first use in a senior women's or men's World Cup tournament.
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Megan Rapinoe has been involved in the women's team's equal pay complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since at least 2016.
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Megan Rapinoe was among several athletes to criticize the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs Wade in June 2022.
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Megan Rapinoe had been one of 500 former and current athletes signing an amicus brief supporting abortion rights for the Supreme Court case back in September 2021.
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Megan Rapinoe has appeared in multiple commercials for Nike throughout her career.
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In December 2019, Megan Rapinoe endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
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Megan Rapinoe was featured on the cover of the March 2013 edition of Curve.
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Megan Rapinoe was profiled on August 6,2012, edition of Sports Illustrated, and the July 2012 edition of Out.
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Megan Rapinoe was featured on multiple covers of Sports Illustrated, Marie Claire, and InStyle the same year.
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Megan 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.
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Megan Rapinoe was the focus of a Fox Soccer feature, Fox Soccer Exclusive: Megan Rapinoe in November 2012.
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In 2016, Megan Rapinoe starred with teammates Hope Solo and Crystal Dunn in a docu-series called Keeping Score broadcast by Fullscreen.
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In December 2020, it was reported that Megan Rapinoe's bestselling memoir "One Life" is set to be adapted as a scripted TV series after Sony Pictures Television optioned the rights.
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Megan Rapinoe was featured along with her national teammates in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series starting in FIFA 16, the first time women players were included in the game.
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In 2020, Megan Rapinoe signed a contract to be the spokeswoman for international luxury fashion brand Loewe.
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On September 4,2016, during a game in Chicago against the Red Stars, Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who refused to stand during the anthem to protest racial injustice and minority oppression.
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Megan Rapinoe said at the time she planned to continue to kneel.
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Megan Rapinoe received the Harry Glickman Professional Female Athlete of the Year award at the 60th annual Oregon Sports Awards held on February 12,2012.
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Megan Rapinoe was awarded the board of directors Award by the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center on November 10,2012, for bringing awareness to LGBT people in sports.
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In March 2013, Megan Rapinoe was named Player of the Tournament at the 2013 Algarve Cup, which the US won.
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Megan Rapinoe tallied a goal and assist in two games played.
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In December 2014, Megan Rapinoe was inducted into the Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame along with several other athletes from Shasta County including Ryan O'Callaghan and Ricky Ray.
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In 2019, Megan Rapinoe won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the Women's World Cup in France.
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On July 1,2022, the White House announced that Megan Rapinoe would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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On July 7,2022, Megan Rapinoe was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest honor given to civilians, by President Joe Biden in a ceremony at the White House; she was among a group of 17 honorees that included Simone Biles.