SEATTLE — Soccer legend Megan Rapinoe has inspired players in Seattle for over a decade, and younger athletes are reflecting on her legacy as the OL Reign star prepares to retire.
Eleanor Morrissey, 18, has been a part of the OL Reign Academy since she was in seventh grade. The OL Reign Academy is an example of how the game of women’s soccer is growing. It’s a program to develop young local soccer players in the system and style of the pro team.
Morrissey has watched OL Reign games from the sideline since their inaugural 2013 season, and Megan Rapinoe has always been a reason to watch.
“She’s a figure that’s fighting for so much progress in women’s soccer. She's retiring and it's going to outlive her career,” Morrissey said.
The soccer star at Lakeside High School said she and others are benefiting and will continue to benefit from what Rapinoe has done in her career.
"The nation and the world know a player, and you get to go straight to see her that night at the field close by," said Stephanie Verdoia, an OL Reign Academy coach who was teammates with Rapinoe in 2018.
Verdoia has had a front-row seat. She worked with Rapinoe side by side as Rapinoe rehabbed from an injury.
"She comes with this light energy,” Verdoia said. "She is the best example of someone who [shows] you can love this game. You can have fun. You can just enjoy it."
The iconic moments on the field somehow pale in comparison to her work off it. She is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality. Rapinoe successfully pushed for equal pay for women’s U.S. soccer.
"She is a huge advocate for basically just inclusivity and accessibility and that's really unique," Verdoia said. “She doesn't shy away. And I think kids and young athletes really gravitate to professional athletes that are willing to put their name on the line."
Players and coaches alike admire what Rapinoe has done and will likely continue to do.
Morrissey will move on to play college soccer at the University of Southern California next year. She has dreams of playing professionally and then one day, coaching.
"I’m very lucky to have grown up in a time in women’s soccer where it's an option," Morrissey said.