Picture Credit: Twitter
Donald Trump was the leader of the collective conservative cheering in the United States following their women team’s exit at the World Cup after losing on penalties to Sweden. The anger of the crowd was particularly pointed at Megan Rapinoe, who is an icon not only in women’s football but also as a female athlete in the US. The player is known for her liberal activism and this meant the American right wing had no hesitation in bringing her down a peg or two after what was, in all reality, a shambolic performance from the two-time World Cup and Olympic gold winner. Donald Trump was especially brutal in his attack on the team, declaring that going ‘woke’ means losing in sports tournaments.
Rapinoe is an outspoken activist for liberal causes, which the American right mistakenly calls left wing. The player kneeled in 2016 during the American national anthem in support of Colin Kaepernick and his protest against police brutality, and famously declined an invitation to the White House in 2019, during Trump’s presidency. All of this has made her a hero to the liberals in the States and a villain to the conservatives. During the match Rapinoe missed a crucial penalty that saw Sweden edge out the United States after a draw in normal time. The former President said that the USWNT was led by athletes that hated America and that they would win more if they replaced them with patriots.
Taking to Instagram story, ex-President wrote, “Our players were openly hostile to America - No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close. WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell! MAGA.”
US out in worst ever World Cup perfor mance
The US women’s team is the most dominant in the history of women’s football, winning four World Cup titles so far. This exit at the hands of Sweden in the round of 16 is their worst ever performance and their earliest ever exit. The team managed to win only one game in the entire tournament, in the group stage against Vietnam, and drew all of their other games against Portugal, Netherlands and Sweden.
A point of controversy was Megan Rapinoe’s inclusion in the World Cup squad. While undoubtedly an all-time great of the women’s game, she is clearly past her prime and it showed during her performance off the bench against Sweden. The tempo of the US team drastically slowed and many fans asked the question they had before the World Cup even began: why is she in the squad?
The unfortunate showing will be the last for Rapinoe in her international career as she retires following this exit. Despite the poor final showing, it should not detract from an otherwise seriously impressive and towering career where she has won everything there is to win at an international level and elevated the status of not only football in the United States but also of women’s football around the world.
