Two-time World Cup champions Megan Rapinoe and Ali Kreiger will both get one more shot at a trophy before they officially retire from professional soccer. OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC will battle it out in the 2023 NWSL Championship on Saturday. Gotham FC are making their first championship appearance and OL Reign hope the third time is a charm, as the league prepares to crown a new champion. Fans can watch the big game on CBS Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
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Ali Krieger’s last game
In what has become a bit of a battle cry for Gotham FC, Krieger has in fact not played her last game yet. The veteran player has had a revival this year, putting together a Defender of the Year season as one-half of Gotham’s center back paring. The team tumbled down the stretch of the regular season, with one win in their final six games, but after Krieger announced her plans to hang up her boots at the end of the season, they rallied around putting off Krieger’s last game as long as possible.
The 39-year-old defender has won two World Cups with the U.S. national team and has been part of major highlights throughout her career, but trophies in the NWSL have escaped her. She made her last appearance in the final in 2016 with the Washington Spirit and had a semifinals appearance in 2017 with Orlando Pride. Now she’s back for another chance at NWSL hardware with Gotham.
“From the last regular season game, where we were celebrating what was supposed to be on Ali’s career, a lot of people thought it was Ali’s last game,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said ahead of the club’s semifinal.
“For the players, for the staff, for the club [it] has been the target that that wasn’t. That they have to continue. Hopefully, it continues until November 11. I think Ali leads on and off the pitch with her football, with her personality, and we wanted to make sure that we give her the best experience in the last few games. And trust me She doesn’t care. She just wants to win. So for us, it’s an extra motivation to go on that pitch and try to beat any opposition that comes in front of us.”
One last time for the OG’s
The Reign are back in the NWSL Championship, a third appearance for the franchise and head coach Laura Havey. It’s another shot for long-time franchise staples Jess Fishlock, Lauren Barnes, and Rapinoe — commonly referred to as the OG’s.
This upcoming championship appearance is a final shot for the long-time reign quartet. Rapinoe announced her retirement ahead of the 2023 World Cup, saying she would step away from playing at the conclusion of her club season. She recently said farewell to the U.S. national team during celebratory matches in September. Like Gotham, the Reign are equally motivated to lift a championship trophy for Rapinoe’s last ride.
“Honestly, it would mean everything. We’ve been there, or thereabouts, in many moments. Obviously 2014 and ’15, the championship games that we had back then, both finals are really different,” Harvey told media after the semifinal win.
“The last two sort of semifinals, Kansas and the Washington games, like we can live in those moments and remember how those felt. The getting to this, getting over the hump of this, and getting into the final. We need to savor that.
“I think we never did that in 2014 or 15. We never did that. We never, like, enjoyed being in the final. Honestly, back then, there’s not the hoo-ha around it that there is now, so it didn’t really feel like it probably does now. And it would mean everything. Honestly, I can’t, I don’t even have the words right now to put into how much it would mean to me personally. For the club. For the players. I just, it would mean everything. Truly.”
A final farewell to two game-changers
Both Rapinoe and Krieger will head into the championship final on the tail end of careers that have largely shaped the current landscape of American domestic soccer. From 2011 to 2019, they were two of the most recognizable faces on the USWNT. Together they went to three World Cup finals and won two World Cup titles, all while women’s pro soccer was figuring itself out, unsuccessfully at times, while trying to finally establish itself in the United States.
As the the current league’s predecessor, the WPS folded and the NWSL was figuring out ways to launch, Rapinoe and Krieger were navigating their careers between Europe and the United States. Like most players attached to the USWNT at the time, there was some skepticism and uncertainty around a third attempt at a domestic league in the States. Minimum standards were a constant point of issue for players and their clubs, with protections for players not fully in place, nor a collective bargaining agreement for NWSL players.
Players of international caliber were often looked to as examples of navigating pro careers, or advice on how to manage the ins and outs of clubs that were still figuring things out on the fly. As the league continued to expand, Krieger found herself helping grow a new franchise in Orlando, and Rapinoe winning NWSL Shield’s with the Reign. They have been staples in the league since the early years, each committing to the league during its inaugural season.
They’re still athletes that current NWSL players look at as career examples and leadership. The scenes during the 2023 NWSL playoffs have been a colorful and joyful example of their impact on their respective clubs and the league.
“I feel like it seems a bit poetic that the championship game is ending with Krieger and Pinoe’s last game,” said Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle after the game. “I think it’s going to be really fun. We’re obviously really excited. We’re gonna enjoy this moment, but get ready and get prepared for the next game.”
What’s next
OL Reign and Gotham FC will battle for the NWSL Championship on Nov. 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. Fans can watch the two icons square off on CBS.
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The post Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger: Two USWNT legends will get a fitting sendoff as they compete for NWSL title appeared first on WorldNewsEra.