“It Becomes More of a Distraction”: Former USWNT Teammate Once Admitted She Doesn’t Approve of Megan Rapinoe’s Outspoken, Rebellious Attitude

Megan Rapinoe is one of the best-known soccer players in USWNT. She started at quite a young age but began pursuing the sport professionally in 2009. She assisted the US to bag two world cups in 2015 and 2019. When she isn’t kicking the ball around, she usually posts or speaks up about social issues using her social media presence. 

But, her relentless advocacy has also brought her flak. The fans are usually polarized about Megan’s actions; either adoring or ridiculing her straightforwardness. And, in fact, it is just not the general public or political figures who have incurred a distaste for her rebellion. There have been instances where fellow soccer players have pushed against her dialogue to bring more attention to their game. One of those players was her teammate Carli Lloyd. 

Carli opened up about the outspoken behavior of Megan Rapinoe

In 2021, an article was published noting down some of the things Rapinoe has heard from her teammates. Most of the thoughts were on a positive note, recognizing Megan’s contribution to women’s soccer. Some like Ali Krieger reminded Rapinoe that they would support her always.

She said, “…it was really important for me to not make [Rapinoe] feel like she has to process this all alone, and a lot of us have similar feelings.” But, unlike others, Carli was not supporting Megan for being outspoken. If anything, her words had a tinge of annoyance at that rebelliousness of Rapinoe. 

Although Carli didn’t have anything personal with Rapinoe, she thought Megan’s campaigns took away the light from their soccer. She said this in the context, “It becomes more of a distraction because it gets our coach involved, support staff involved … and we do want to get back to playing soccer.”  

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Carli had made it abundantly clear that she was more concerned with the methodology than the content of the protests. Probably being the co-captain of the team had made Carli gain these insights.

The backlash Rapinoe faces due to her rebelliousness 

This was neither the first nor the last time Megan had been called out for her outspoken advocacy. From US President Trump’s wrath on denying to meet him at the white house to shaming a fellow player on her ethnic traits, she had been in trouble a few times. 

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But, her fans are loyal and believe that although she has had a few hiccups, her campaigns are mostly well meant. What are your thoughts on this?