If you’re looking for a historic night in Seattle to be a part of, look no further. OL Reign plays their final regular season home match at Lumen field against the Washington Spirit this Friday, October 6^th. This match is OL Reign’s Forever Rapinoe: A Celebration of Megan Rapinoe Match, celebrating the illustrious career of forward Megan Rapinoe ahead of her retirement from professional soccer. Because of the magnitude of this event, we wanted to talk about Megan Rapinoe and honor the impact that she has made, both on and off the field. 

Megan Rapinoe was born July 5, 1985 in Redding, California. She is an American soccer legend and social activist and has been one of the leading wingers in the sport. She claims 203 professional appearances, 63 goals, 73 assists, and two World Cup wins. Rapinoe has participated in four FIFA Women’s World Cups (2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023), and her contributions were key to the U.S. team’s victories in 2015 and 2019. For her outstanding performance in 2019, Rapinoe was named FIFA’s Women’s Player of the Year, won the Ballon d’Or as the best female player in the world, and was elevated as the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. She is a highly decorated athlete, winning a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Games, and the Golden Ball and Golden Boot in 2019.

Additionally, Rapinoe was named co-captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team from 2018 to 2020, and in 2022 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the U.S.’s highest civilian honor). Rapinoe ranks in the top 10 in both USWNT history in goals and assists, as well as the top 10 NWSL player ratings. Megan Rapinoe is also the only known player to have scored an Olimpico goal at the Olympics—a goal scored directly off a corner kick without contact by another player—and she did it twice. Following her final USWNT appearance, Rapinoe said “it has been such an honor to be able to wear this shirt and to play with all these amazing players and to just live out my childhood dream”.

Off the pitch, Rapinoe has been a staunch and outspoken advocate of LGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, and racial equality. She was at the forefront of the ultimately successful push to achieve equal pay with the team’s U.S. male counterparts at the international level. Just three months before the 2019 World Cup, members of the defending champion USWNT filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer seeking improved working conditions and wages on par with the U.S. men’s team.

With Rapinoe leading the charge, the USWNT leveraged its popular social media presence and the 2019 World Cup win to gain widespread public support, encouraging similar movements around the world while becoming the vanguard in the movement for equality in women’s sports. Eventually, U.S. Soccer announced a landmark settlement, pledging to equal pay within the federation in collective bargaining agreements while dishing out $24 million in backpay. It was an unforgettable turning point for the U.S. Women’s National Team. The lengthy legal battle ensured that the USWNT will go down in history not only as champions but also as trailblazers. 

Don’t sleep on this opportunity to see the legend, the icon, the champion for the last time. Megan Rapinoe’s final regular season home match will be an event that should not be missed. The highly anticipated match has already drawn a record-breaking attendance for the Reign with over 28,150 tickets sold, closing in on the all-time NWSL attendance record. Due to the high demand for tickets, OL Reign has expanded capacity twice and expects to break the club’s all-time attendance record, so be sure to plan ahead! Kickoff is set for primetime at 5:00 pm on Friday, October 6^th, and tickets can be purchased at https://www.olreign.com/tickets, or by calling 866-997-3446. The game will air nationally on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+. Gates at Lumen Field will open at 3:30 pm—90 minutes prior to kickoff. Fans are strongly encouraged to arrive early, as the club is expecting the record-breaking crowd in addition to a packed lineup of pre-match events and activations around the stadium. 

The fun-filled lineup of events for match day begins with an exclusive giveaway of Forever Rapinoe sunglasses, courtesy of BECU for the first 3,000 fans at the door. On the day of the match, Forever Rapinoe flags will fly high on the Seattle ferries, and Lumen Field—along with other buildings across downtown—will light up Seattle with “Pinoe Pink” later in the evening. Leading up to kickoff, there will be a special ceremony on the pitch, honoring Rapinoe. As the match kicks off, an auction of one-of-a-kind Megan Rapinoe items will begin, benefitting the Lambert House. Fans will have the opportunity to bid on unique Megan Rapinoe themed items through the end of the match. To further celebrate this momentous occasion, fans will have access to live music, food trucks, photo opportunities, a giant Rapinoe Jersey for fans to sign, and other family activities and games. Finally, fans will want to stick around until the end of the match to see Rapinoe honored in a special ceremony including her friends and family, teammates, the Royal Guard and more. OL Reign is encouraging fans from across the region to join them in honoring Megan Rapinoe and helping to make history by pushing to break the all-time NWSL attendance record.

Megan Rapinoe once said, “You allow me to be who I am on the field and the person I am off of it. There is not enough ‘thank-yous’ in the world for all that you guys do for me”. 

Seattle thanks you back, Megan Rapinoe.