SAN DIEGO — Megan Rapinoe’s remarkable soccer career ended abruptly and cruelly Saturday, less than three minutes into the NWSL championship game.
On the final day of a journey splashed with World Cup titles and global acclaim for leading political and human-rights causes, the 38-year-old winger for Seattle’s OL Reign was pursuing Gotham FC’s Maitane López when she crumbled to the ground with a noncontact injury.
As Rapinoe reached for her lower right leg, her facial expression was a mix of disbelief and sadness. Before the medical staff reached her, it was clear Rapinoe’s night — and her 15-year pro career — was over.