SAN DIEGO — Late in this National Women’s Soccer League season, as their retirements neared and their teams made desperate pushes for playoff berths, Megan Rapinoe asked Ali Krieger when and where her last game for NJ/NY Gotham FC would be.
Krieger knew Rapinoe, who plays for Seattle’s OL Reign, was referring to the regular season finale in mid-October, yet she decided to have fun with her answer.
“What do you mean? November 11th,” the date of the championship game, Krieger said. “No doubt in my mind.”
They laughed about it, then got to thinking: Maybe they could push their last seasons to the very end, to Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday night for a title that has eluded both organizations since the league launched in 2013.