The best thing that can be said about the U.S. Womenâs National Soccer Teamâs divisive and lackluster performance in the 2023 World Cup is that it ended early.
After narrowly making it out of the group stage following a scoreless tie against Portugal in which the most valuable player was the goalpost that deflected a Portuguese kick that would have potentially eliminated the Americans, the anthem-loathing, dreadfully woke womenâs team crashed out in the round of 16 against Sweden on Sunday â its earliest exit from the womenâs tournament ever.
And the shot that made the difference? It came from the foot of none other than the most dreadfully woke player on a dreadfully woke team, the anime-haired one-woman leftist propaganda machine that is Megan Rapinoe.
Rapinoe missed badly in the five-shot penalty shootout after the U.S. and Swedish sides played to a scoreless draw through regulation and extra time.
However, no matter how you feel about her witless ultra-progressive Politics, sheâll go down as one of the most athletically gifted players to ever don a U.S. womenâs team uniform, and Sunday marked her last game for the national squad.
Thus, itâs a time for looking back â reflection, if you will â on the most superlative moments in an accomplished, if controversial, career.
Tell us, Megan: What was your foremost memory of your time with the national team? The famous assist to Abby Wambach in the 2011 Womenâs World Cup that got the U.S. team through its quarterfinal game against Brazil? Helping the red, white and blue take home a gold medal in womenâs Soccer at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London? Taking home the golden boot as top scorer in the 2019 Womenâs World Cup, becoming the oldest woman to do so at age 34?
Nope! According to Rapinoe, her greatest accomplishment for the U.S. team is, um, getting âequal pay.â
Fox Sports host Jenny Taft asked her after the game, âWhen you reflect on the impact youâve made on this team, is there a memory that stands out to you right now in this moment?â
After a pause to think about the question, Rapinoe said, âProbably equal pay chance.â
âThis team has always fought for so much more, and thatâs been the most rewarding part for me,â she said.
Look, I understand that the moment was emotional. But, the thing is that no matter how overwhelmed Rapinoe was after the loss, you get the feeling she would have come to the same answer more quickly if she werenât moved to tears.
Yes, during her career as the self-appointed lighting rod of the dreadfully, insufferably woke U.S. Womenâs National Team, Rapinoe was part of the effort that finally persuaded American Soccer officials to offer equal pay to the menâs and womenâs national teams.
Despite the fact that womenâs Soccer is significantly less popular than menâs â note that many Womenâs World Cup games for this yearâs tournament werenât sold out just before it began, with international governing body FIFA begging fans in Australia and New Zealand to âdo the right thingâ and pony up for the ducats â supporters argued it was only fair, especially given the success of the womenâs team in international tournaments.
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Well, thanks to Rapinoe, not only do the women have equal pay but they also have a performance level thatâs exactly on par with the menâs squad: Both teams crashed out in the round of 16 in their respective World Cups in 2022 and 2023. Nice work.
As you might not be surprised to learn, Americans werenât terribly impressed regarding the memory that sticks out most for Rapinoe regarding her time spent representing America â which had little to do with Soccer itself and more to do with the pecuniary benefits of it:
If painting her as a âpsychopathâ and a âpolitical operativeâ seems a bit hyperbolic, itâs not entirely far off. Nobodyâs expecting Rapinoe to turn into an ardent flag-waver overnight, but one might expect at least a soupçon of patriotism from her.
But, nope. To the end, Rapinoe wants to be recognized as a force for political change, and that political change has little to do with the country she represents. The 2023 Womenâs World Cup squad will best be remembered for its apathetic response to the National anthem before games, and thatâs also apparently a Rapinoe achievement; former teammate Hope Solo said in a 2021 interview that Rapinoe would âalmost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way.â
Unfortunately, she succeeded â and womenâs Soccer is immeasurably worse for it.
Bon voyage, Megan. Maybe in your absence, we can find an American team that represents most Americansâ values, not just your intensely personal, selfish, skewed, jaded view of your homeland.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
