“Forced to Kind of Level Up”- USWNT Legend Megan Rapinoe Discovered Her Natural Ability to Play Soccer in Teenage Years

Megan Rapinoe is a well-known name in the world of soccer. She is among a few progressive soccer players and speaks out on every issue in soccer and the world, too. Be it taking a knee to support Black Lives Matter or fighting against US Soccer for pay equity, or coming out, she has never refrained from speaking out.

Recently, the soccer star was on the Design Matters podcast with Debbie Millman and spoke about her soccer journey. The two-time FIFA World Cup winner recounted her childhood and how her brother influenced her to take up soccer as a career. Rapinoe has made a comeback to the USWNT roster for SheBelieves Cup after being dropped from the January camp. 

Megan Rapinoe was destined to play soccer from childhood

Debbie Millman asked Rapinoe about her childhood and how her five-year older brother introduced her to soccer. He used to play soccer, and his soccer tricks impressed Rapinoe and her sister Rachel. Both sisters used to chase soccer balls in their childhood. They played for the boy’s team when they were eight, as there was no girl’s team in their locality. 

The Olympic Gold medalist replied, “I think athletically gifted overall, both Rachel and I. We played every sport, and we played against each other, too. I think that was one of the things. In all the sports, but at a very young age and having older siblings, being around his older friends, obviously we’re the youngest, so even my other siblings, we were always sort of forced to kind of level up.” Rapinoe further added.

Rapinoe makes it to the USWNT roster for SheBelieves Cup

 Rapinoe was not part of the January camp roster of USWNT, where the team played two international friendlies with New Zealand. She was out due to an ankle injury. The OL Reign forward has made a comeback to the roster for this month’s SheBelieves Cup.

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SheBelieves Cup is a round-robin tournament that features four teams. Brazil, Canada, and Japan join USWNT for the event set to be played in the US. All the teams are ranked in the top 11 of the current FIFA rankings. They will play the Cup games between February 16 to February 22. It will be a great opportunity for the USWNT coach to know where the team stands ahead of the FIFA World Cup this year.

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USWNT will look to clinch their sixth SheBelieves Cup when they kick off their campaign against Canada. USWNT has also won the previous three consecutive tournaments. Fans will hope for Rapinoe to perform and help the team win.

Let us know your thoughts on how Megan Rapinoe took up soccer as her career and her brother’s influence on her.