- Rapinoe brought humor to the situation by saying she “fucked my Achilles tendon”
- Her boyfriend, Ali Krieger, had to retire a champion when Gotham won the title
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American soccer legend Megan Rapinoe told reporters she believes she tore her Achilles tendon in the final match of her long career: the NWSL final.
Rapinoe’s OL Reign side fell 2-1 to Gotham FC on Saturday night, losing the title after being subbed out following an injury just before the third minute.
“Definitely, I tore my Achilles tendon,” Rapinoe said in her post-match press conference. ‘So the worst possible outcome (for me). What it felt like, just a huge bang.”
In her typical style, Rapinoe injected some dark humor and some self-mockery into the situation.
“I wasn’t overly emotional about it,” Rapinoe said. “I mean, I blew my Achilles tendon in the sixth minute of my last ever match in the literal championship match.”
OL Reign star Megan Rapinoe thinks she tore her Achilles tendon during the NWSL finals
She said after the match that she felt a ‘pop’ in her leg and called it ‘the worst possible outcome’
Rapinoe continued to joke, “I think I just drove until the wheels came off!”, Rapinoe joked, adding, “Now I’m just a NARP, a normal person, having to do rehab, what f* **devastating.’
Rapinoe added, “You have to find the silver lining and the dark humor, and that’s just who I am.”
Asked if the poor playing surface at Snapdragon Stadium could be to blame, Rapinoe replied: “I don’t think so, I don’t think it made any sense. I don’t think it was really a super dynamic move… these things just happen.”
It was a sudden and cruel end to the career of a player who made such an impact in the sport in the United States.
After so many years in the NWSL, Rapinoe is retiring from the league as a title-holder, having come so close but never winning a championship.
Of course, her time with the national team has been quite decorated. Two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal were the highlights of a professional career that spanned thirteen seasons.
But now Rapinoe’s playing days are over. However, the former Ballon d’Or winner is not staying away from the field completely.
“I’m looking forward to retirement and looking forward to my new role in the game,” Rapinoe said. “I’m retiring from the field, but you’ll definitely see me around a lot.”
While Rapinoe’s career ended in tragedy, her friend Ali Krieger (L) retired with a win
Krieger also played her last match, but led Gotham to their first ever championship
While Rapinoe will suddenly and almost tragically retire, her friend Ali Krieger will step back from the game with one more piece of silverware in her closet.
This was also the last match in the career of the captain of Gotham FC, who also won a World Cup with the United States alongside Rapinoe in both 2015 and 2019.
Krieger had only positive things to say about her Gotham teammates, who went from having the worst record in the league a year ago to winning in 2023.
“I can’t really put into words what kind of group we have,” the retiring captain said. “Incredible people here and I think that’s why we’re in the position we’re in, because we support each other day in and day out.”