One of the stars of the USWNT, Megan Rapinoe, was made fun of after she chuckled after missing a critical penalty kick as the squad was eliminated from contention by 16th-ranked Sweden. The USWNT was one of the favorites to win their third consecutive championship.
She was spotted grinning and chuckling to herself after missing a critical chance that flew far over the crossbar, but she sobbed alongside her teammates on the sidelines after the game.
“I don’t see what’s funny about this?” a fan said on Twitter. “The laughing shows how much this team took this as a joke. So much for being a role model for the rest of the team.”
“Megan Rapinoe laughing after she missed a game winning pk… never happier to see a player retire. Never want to see her on my tv again. What a way to end your career,” another fan said.
“’I’m generally a Megan Rapinoe fan, but laughing after a missed penalty is not a good look,” another said.
Rapinoe gave a post-game interview.
“I thought we played really well, I am so happy for us that we went out playing the way that we did.
“This is dark comedy, I missed a penalty. This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game,” she said.
“I feel really grateful and joyful and I know this is the end and that is sad. This is the only time I have been in one of these (losing on penalties at a World Cup) – it has been an honor,” she said.
“It is tough, it sucks. There was so much more in it for us,” the player said before addressing her smiling and laughing.
“It’s a sick, sick joke. I’ve never hit it over, when I miss they are saved,” she said.
She continued by clearly exaggerating how important she was.
“I think this team has always fought for so much more and that’s been the most rewarding part for me – to know that we’ve used our really special talent to do something that’s changed the world forever,” she said.
By declining to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the games, the squad stirred much controversy.
The American team won the match against Vietnam after the Vietnamese squad loudly sang their anthem before it.
The majority of the team just stared straight as the National Anthem played in New Zealand’s Eden Park arena and only 5 of the 11 who stood for the anthem placed their hands over their hearts, video showed.
Alyssa Naeher, Julie Ertz, and Lindsey Horan were the only players to really sing the lyrics.
Despite defeating Vietnam 3–0, the US squad angered a lot of people online.
“Americans are being trained to hate their country. These angry women are representing a country they despise at the World Cup. Our schools are failing…,” one Twitter user said.
“These spoiled a$$ athletes need to be reminded they don’t play for the name on the back of the jersey. They play for the name on the front of it. And if they hate our country so much, go play somewhere else. You won’t be missed,” another said.
“If these players don’t love the country they are representing, they should not be on the team. As an ex athlete, I always loved who I represented. It is an insult to every American to behave in such a disrespectful manner,” another said.
“Just another reason not to watch women’s soccer. Besides the fact that it’s boring, they can’t beat a high school team ..they expect the same amount of money as the men yet don’t bring in the same revenue, have equal talent or deliver the same quality football,” another Twitter user said.
According to Megan Rapinoe, a well-known lefty and anti-Trumper, women’s sports are being “weaponized” by those who oppose transgender athletes competing against biological women. This was revealed in an interview with Time Magazine last week. She called it “total bulls—” and pleaded with the person to “show me all the trans people who are dishonestly exploiting being trans in sports.” Simply said, it’s not happening.
