Megan Rapinoe set to play last game for US women's soccer team

Chicago, Illinois - US women's soccer team star Megan Rapinoe will suit up for her country for the final time on September 24, when the Americans host South Africa in Chicago.

Women's soccer legend Megan Rapinoe is set to play her last game for the USWNT in Chicago in September.
Women's soccer legend Megan Rapinoe is set to play her last game for the USWNT in Chicago in September.  © Saeed KHAN / AFP

It will be the second game of two in a short series for the nations, both of which went out of the recent World Cup in the round of 16. That was a historic success for Banyana Banyana, as South Africa's women's team is known, and a historic failure for the Americans.

The series will start on September 21 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rose Lavelle's hometown. The US team said Rapinoe won't play in that game.

Rapinoe announced before the World Cup that she would retire from playing at the end of the year. She will sign off with her 203rd career senior national team appearance since her debut in 2006.

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She's one of 14 US players all time to top the 200-cap total, and her 63 goals and 73 assists rank in the program's top 10 in both categories.

Notably, she's the only player in the US women's team's 50/50 club with more assists than goals.

Megan Rapinoe set to end her legendary playing career

Megan Rapinoe is set to end her playing career entirely after the current NWSL season.
Megan Rapinoe is set to end her playing career entirely after the current NWSL season.  © REUTERS

The 38-year-old northern California native has played in four World Cups and three Olympics, with three major titles on her mantle. She will end her playing career entirely after the NWSL season.

Rapinoe's last regular-season home game with Seattle-based OL Reign, on October 6 against Washington, recently was moved to prime time on CBS' main network.

It's not clear yet how much of the team for the South Africa series will be the World Cup squad and how much will be new players.

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All we know for sure is there will be an interim manager at the helm, Twila Kilgore, while new US Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker continues to search for Vlatko Andonovski's successor.

Nor do we know yet whether Kilgore or the new boss will be in charge for the October series against Colombia that was announced Monday.

Those games are set for October 26 in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah, and October 29 in San Diego, California.

Cover photo: Saeed KHAN / AFP

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