U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe will not start Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal match against England.
No reason was given for the decision, but manager Jill Ellis is expected to address reporters after the game. Rapinoe is listed as active on the U.S.’ lineup card — meaning she’s eligible to come off the bench.
Rapinoe has been a prominent figure for the U.S. team throughout the World Cup. In addition to her five goals in four games, Rapinoe made headlines when she said in a video posted last week that she would not go to the “f**ing” White House. President Trump then fired back last week at Rapinoe for her comments.
Rapinoe’s girlfriend, WNBA star Sue Bird, weighed in on the feud in a Players’ Tribune article posted Tuesday titled “So the President F**ing Hates My Girlfriend.”
A USWNT rep would not disclose if the decision was injury related. ’
Megan Rapinoe is the only player not taking part in warmups. She’s standing on sideline pacing and watching. Was wearing tape on back of her leg yesterday in training. https://t.co/OFkF601RPk
— Jim Witalka (@jwitalka) July 2, 2019
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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