Megan Rapinoe, a member of the USWNT and an icon of women’s sports, has made the decision to hang up her boots after this season. Rapinoe, who is 38 years old, has declared that she will stop playing after the 2023 NWSL season.

“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game. I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along,” Rapinoe tweeted.

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When did Megan Rapinoe make her debut for the USWNT?

Rapinoe made her US debut in 2006 against the Republic of Ireland in San Diego; she has since earned 199 caps over the course of 17 years. Rapinoe will likely earn her 200th cap against Wales (a match you can watch on AS USA) to become the 14th American player in history. Rapinoe currently leads the world with 63 international goals and 73 assists, but given her history, we can anticipate that she will eventually retire with more goals and assists.

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Is Megan Rapinoe expected to be a part of the USWNT roster for the 2023 World Cup?

Her fourth and last World Cup will be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. The player has two World Cup trophies to her name, which were won consecutively in 2015 and 2019. Thanks to her goals, abilities, and advocacy for equal rights in the latter tournament, she emerged as the team’s undisputed icon.

Megan Rapinoe has never shied away from advocating for equality, which has made her a role model for all sexes, young and old, all over the world.

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 “I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people, I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it. To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special,” Rapinoe told US soccer.