When the OL Reign lost to the Kansas City Current in the NWSL semifinals Sunday, it marked the end of Megan Rapinoe’s ninth year with the Seattle squad. Rapinoe is entering free agency in the offseason, but her comments following the game indicated her desire to stay with the Reign.
The 37-year-old forward praised coach Laura Harvey, who is in her second stint with the Reign. Harvey headed up the club from 2013-17, and she made her return to the Reign in 2021.
“Laura is a phenomenal coach,” Rapinoe told reporters Sunday. “I think sometimes I don’t realize just how lucky I am to have been under her for almost my entire career … She is unbelievable.
“Hopefully I can stick around and play a little bit longer with her.”
Rapinoe also commented on the crowds that supported her team all season. The Reign set the standalone attendance record for their franchise four times this season as fans turned out to support the club at Lumen Field.
“It should be a crowd like this every time we play,” she told reporters. “That’s how I feel about it. I’m disappointed it wasn’t bigger, to be honest. I think the way that we play, the style that we play, how entertaining we are, playing the game the right way, I feel like we have it all.”
While Rapinoe acknowledged that the Reign, who lost 2-0, didn’t give fans much to cheer for, she expressed hope for the future of the club and the fanbase.
“The atmosphere is great tonight,” she said. “We kept it a little quiet, not getting on the board, but I feel like hopefully this is a good stepping stone. For the fans in Seattle, they realize what the team’s all about and how successful we’ve been and how much fun it is to come watch us play and support us, and help us try to win a championship next year.”
The veteran has appeared in 88 games for the Reign, with 40 goals. Prior to that, she played for several teams in the Women’s Professional Soccer league before it folded in 2012, had a stint in Australia and spent two seasons with Olympique Lyonnais in France.
Rapinoe has also played for the U.S. women’s national team since 2006.