In the context of sports, a love-hate relationship often veers closer to love than hate as one reflects on the greatness of an individual. For the Portland Thorns and their fans, the love for Megan Rapinoe goes even deeper. And, inevitably, so does the hate.
Rapinoe, set to retire from professional soccer at the end of this NWSL season, will play her final match in Portland on Saturday, a crucial one for OL Reign and the Thorns in the league table as the 2023 season winds down. But the University of Portland alumna, activist and soccer icon will take center stage, as she always does, with opponents and longtime friends aiming to honor her the only way they know how.
“I think the greatest compliment that I and we could give her as the Thorns, is to kick her ass when she comes to Providence Park,” said Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg, a longtime teammate of Rapinoe’s on the U.S. women’s national team. “Pinoe’s a great friend and she’s an excellent person and I love what she’s done for the sport. She’s totally changed the sport and the way that the sport is talked about and has made it clear that she’s going to use her voice and stand up for things that other people won’t stand up for. She’s brave, she’s loud, she’s hilarious.”
The seeds of Rapinoe’s greatness were planted at UP, beginning her freshman year in 2005 when a highly talented Pilots team — which included dominant senior Christine Sinclair — went undefeated en route to a national championship. Sinclair and Rapinoe would parlay their success at UP into legendary professional careers, carrying the women’s game into a new and more prosperous era.
And what Rapinoe and Sinclair built at UP has a direct line to the success of the Thorns today.
“We were so unique as a university at the time investing in women’s soccer when most universities weren’t really investing in women’s sports,” said Jason Brough, senior associate athletic director at UP. “That allowed us to be nationally relevant. We started getting national recruits after Sinclair, and then we win a national championship, and you start to see the huge crowds come and all of the sudden we have people sitting in the parking lot watching us practice. Preseason events with 500 people lining up for autographs. That really led to Portland becoming Soccer City, U.S.A., and the Thorns did a great job bringing some of those players over and establishing the foundation.”
Rapinoe, alongside other stars like Sinclair, bounced around fledgling professional soccer leagues and teams as they sprouted up and folded in rapid succession. The NWSL would play its inaugural season in 2013, with the announcement of the league’s formation coming on the heels of Rapinoe and the U.S. women’s national team winning gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
That included a thrilling 4-3 win over Sinclair and Canada in the semifinals, which featured an “Olimpico” goal from Rapinoe.
The game was growing around — and in many ways because of — players like Rapinoe. But it all existed on a tightrope, and worries remained about the long-term viability of professional women’s soccer in the U.S. on the club level.
In the Rose City, future Riveters who packed the stands at Pilots games in the program’s heyday had their fingers crossed as players were assigned to NWSL teams.
“My first thought was, oh my God, I hope we get both Megan and Christine,” longtime Thorns fan Luke Fritz said with a laugh. “I was all in. When they announced Portland was getting a team, I was very committed to helping make sure this works. The fans at UP, with the drums and the tifo, that was all a precursor to the Riveters.”
Sinclair went to Portland, and Rapinoe to Seattle (now known as OL Reign). The rivalry between Portland and Seattle was instant, and the one between Sinclair and Rapinoe was already there from battles on the international stage between the U.S. and Canada.
Rapinoe and Sinclair both declined to be interviewed for this story. But those in their orbit were keen to observe the similarities and differences between the two titans of the sport, both as players and personalities. Saturday will be their final matchup playing for club or country.
United States' Megan Rapinoe, left, prepares to kick the ball against Canada's Christine Sinclair, right, during their semifinal women's soccer match at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, in Manchester, England, Monday, Aug. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
“From a Thorns fan’s perspective, even though Megan can be a little divisive or do some things that irritate them, she has been so good for the game of women’s soccer on the international stage as well as domestic stage,” Brough said. “Thorns fans are knowledgeable. They know that. Christine Sinclair is the greatest player in the world in my opinion, but she wasn’t going to be the face of women’s soccer because she didn’t want to be that. Megan was willing to do that, and I think that was so important for the game.”
While Sinclair has been outspoken in Canadian players’ fight for equal treatment from the Canada Soccer Federation and has always been an advocate for the advancement of the women’s game, she is admittedly allergic to the spotlight. Her publishing a memoir last year was a surprise even to herself, and Sinclair isn’t known for speaking out on social issues. She is, however, not shy about her disdain for Seattle.
History may remember Rapinoe more for her trailblazing activism than achievements on the pitch, and those who know her believe she would be fine with that.
“I think it’s really beautiful to have that type of role model,” Klingenberg said. “Even though she’s just being herself and probably doesn’t even think of herself as a role model. She’s just out there being who she is. But when you don’t have anyone to look up to when you’re little, when you don’t see anybody, you can’t dream what you could be. And so, Pinoe has been that person for a long time for a lot of young women, young men, young people. So hopefully we will continue to see more of those type of people because they’re needed.”
Rapinoe and Thorns players Becky Sauerbrunn and Crystal Dunn were on the front lines of the USWNT’s pursuit of equal pay, and they succeeded. Rapinoe has staged protests, given speeches, feuded with politicians, donated to scores of causes and been part of myriad social justice initiatives.
Sauerbrunn found her voice as an activist thanks in large part to Rapinoe, she said. The two grew up together, meeting as teenagers in the U.S. Soccer youth system.
“Whenever I think of the growth of soccer, to me, it is so entwined with Pinoe and what she has been able to do individually, but also our generation of players,” Sauerbrunn said. “Being there to make the decision to help found the league, going through everything when it comes to pay equality, racial justice, LGBTQ+ issues, she is always willing to step up, always willing to put herself out there and fight for inclusion. Even though this climate is so divisive, she doesn’t care, because she knows what she is doing is so important and is on the right side of history.
“I have always loved her so much for how brave she is, and she has made me so much more brave. I think about us growing up together, she’s always been like that, but she brought me along and helped me step into my own voice. For that, I am eternally grateful for her, because she has allowed so many people to do that. ‘Your voice matters, your power matters. Use it.’ She is just a force of nature.”
As is the natural progression of things, sports careers do not last forever. It is all but guaranteed that Rapinoe will remain in the public consciousness when she steps away from soccer, but Saturday is her final chance to play the villain on the field: facing down a crowd that simultaneously reveres her and is willing to show her a pair of middle fingers.
A contingent of UP alumni and stakeholders will be among those in the stands at Providence Park to honor Rapinoe. And thousands in attendance — including players on both teams — have Rapinoe to thank for where she leaves the game.
All that love will disappear the moment both teams step between the lines.
“I’ll give her a nice little clap and congratulations before the game, and when that whistle blows, I’m gonna try to ruin her day,” Sauerbrunn said. “I’m sure Crystal and others will try to ruin the day. Then afterwards, we’ll hug, we’ll take pictures, and we’ll congratulate her on an amazing career.”
Portland vs. OL Reign kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, with a live broadcast on Fox 12 Plus and streaming on Paramount+.
-- Ryan Clarke, rclarke@oregonian.com, Twitter: @RyanTClarke