This Saturday’s NWSL finals in San Diego, California, will be the setting for a dream farewell for Megan Rapinoe, as she football enter a new era.

By defeating San Diego Wave FC in the semifinals, OL Reign of Seattle extended Rapinoe’s career by a few days, bringing the curtain down on her successful soccer career in the league final between her team and NJ /NY Gotham FC.

“It will be my last game. “A dream ending, the only thing left is to win,” Rapinoe was happy on Sunday after the 1-0 victory in the semifinals.

The 38-year-old attacker, feminist activist and ardent fighter for LGBT+ rights, in the last match of her career, will have the opportunity to win the title that is missing from her showcase.

Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and world champion in 2015 and 2019, the year in which she was named the best soccer player in the world, Rapinoe said goodbye to the United States national team in September.

With the national team, the forward closed her 17-year career in which she earned 203 international matches and 63 goals. However, the loss to Sweden in the round of 16 of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand left the American team with a bitter taste.

Rapinoe missed the penalty kick that left the USA out of contention for a third consecutive world title.

Already out of action with her national team, Rapinoe will experience the final end on Saturday at a time when the American league enters a new dimension, especially the financial one.

The NWSL announced Thursday that it has sold the broadcast rights for $240 million over four years ESPN, CBS, Prime Video and Scripps, that is, an amount that is 40 times higher than the valid contract. The new contract provides for the transmission of 118 games per season instead of 30.

“This agreement changes things profoundly for our championship and for the players who step onto its courts every weekend,” commented NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman.

We achieved the goal of “making games accessible to fans and new audiences (…) while generating the revenue our players deserve and our investors expect,” he added.

The last game of the old era will be a title fight featuring Gotham and OL Reign, two ‘surprise’ teams that finished sixth and fourth in the regular season, respectively, and managed to beat the best away teams in the semifinals. ago playoffs (Portland and San Diego).

Rapinoe’s departure will not be the only farewell of the night. It will also be the last game for Ali Krieger (age 39), Gotham’s captain and another iconic figure football, who leaves with 108 international caps and a two-time world champion. (D)