Megan Rapinoe reflects on playing for Team USA during Pride Month: 'Our team was super gay in 2019'

Team USA women's soccer large Megan Rapinoe is lasting by what she said successful 2019. 

"You cannot triumph championships without the gays," she said to her wife, Sue Bird during their "A Touch More" podcast.

Rapinoe said thing to the aforesaid effect during Team USA's Women's World Cup rubric tally successful 2019 aft a quarterfinal triumph implicit France, the big state of that year's tournament. 

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OL Reign guardant Megan Rapinoe waves during a ceremonial honoring her career, aft the team's NWSL shot lucifer against the Washington Spirit, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, successful Seattle. The Spirit and the Reign played to a scoreless gully successful Rapinoe's last regular-season location crippled earlier her status astatine the extremity of the season.  (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

"Go gays!" Rapinoe said astatine the time, per The Guardian. "You can't triumph a title without gays connected your squad – it's ne'er been done before, ever. That's science, close there!

"I'm motivated by radical who similar me, who are warring for the aforesaid things. I instrumentality much vigor from that than from trying to beryllium thing wrong. That's draining connected yourself. But for me, to beryllium cheery and fabulous, during Pride period astatine the World Cup, is nice."

MEGAN RAPINOE ‘OVERWHELMED’ BY ANOTHER TRUMP PRESIDENCY, FEARFUL FOR THE TRANSGENDER

It's Pride Month now, which brought astir the question from Bird to Rapinoe astir what it means to play during it. 

"Our squad was ace cheery successful 2019," Rapinoe responded. "A batch of america were out, a batch of our fans were gay, a batch of the different players were gay. First and easiest happening to guarantee you person is cheery players connected our team."

In 2019, Team USA had 5 players who were publically LGBTQ players. Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, 2 of the team’s stars, were engaged astatine the time, portion manager Jillian Ellis was besides out. 

That year, Outsports besides reported that astir 40 lesbian and bisexual players participated successful the Women’s World Cup compared to little than 20 successful 2015.

Rapinoe aided Team USA's efforts successful winning back-to-back World Cups successful 2019, taking down the Netherlands, 2-0, wherever Rapinoe scored a punishment footwear successful the 61st infinitesimal to instrumentality the lead. 

Megan Rapinoe attends the crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty connected May 18, 2024, astatine Barclays Center successful Brooklyn, New York. (Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

Rapinoe had six goals and 2 assists during 5 matches successful that Women's World Cup, portion scoring 2 goals and dishing retired 2 assists successful the 2015 victory. 

Team USA wasn't capable to marque it 3 consecutive successful 2023, arsenic they were eliminated by Sweden successful punishment kicks. Rapinoe made it known that the 2023 tourney would beryllium her past World Cup, and portion she wished it ended differently, she noted feeling "so fortunate and truthful grateful to play arsenic agelong arsenic I have."

Off the pitch, Rapinoe has been outspoken, including aft the 2019 triumph wherever she said "I'm not going to the f---ing White House," portion President Donald Trump was successful his archetypal term. She besides told her Team USA peers to "think hard" astir going to the White House earlier facing France successful the quarterfinal, prompting Trump to tweet retired "Megan should WIN archetypal earlier she TALKS! Finish the job! We haven't yet…"

"Megan should ne'er disrespect our Country, the White House, oregon our Flag, particularly since truthful overmuch has been done for her & the team. Be arrogant of the Flag that you wear. The USA is doing GREAT!" Trump added successful his tweets astatine the time. 

Rapinoe besides commented connected an earlier occurrence of her podcast with Bird aft Trump bushed erstwhile vice president Kamala Harris successful the 2024 statesmanlike election, saying she felt "overwhelmed" that helium would beryllium backmost successful office. 

Megan Rapinoe, shot fable and Co-Founder of A Touch More speaks during the Business of Women Sport Summit presented by Deep Blue Sports and Axios astatine Chelsea Factory connected Apr. 23, 2024, successful New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)

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"I deliberation that I consciousness – not truthful overmuch personally scared, due to the fact that I deliberation that we unrecorded successful precise progressive places, we’re unbelievably privileged successful our spot successful the satellite and beingness and financially and each of these things, but I deliberation that fearfulness extends to conscionable radical successful wide that volition beryllium truly affected," Rapinoe explained to Bird. "I’m reasoning of each my trans friends and radical that I cognize and trans kids. I’m reasoning astir the imaginable of wide deportations if that is going to happen, and conscionable similar the wide chaos that’s going to beryllium sown is truly overwhelming."

In 2023 appearances with Team USA successful her career, Rapinoe scored 63 goals and had 73 assists with her 2 World Cup titles. She besides had 56 goals and 34 assists successful her 13-year nonrecreational league successful the WPS and NWSL. 

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