She is 5’6″ tall. Weighs 130 pounds. And, most critically – considering what she does for a living – she is primarily right-footed.  

She was born in 1985, about one generation after the passage of Title IX, in California. She and her twin sister were soccer players, coached by their father, and they took the then-revolutionary path of commuting two-and-a-half hours to play for a club team instead of for their local high school. The work paid off: both earned full rides at Portland University. In her freshman year, she was West Coast Conference Player of the Year, helped the team win the D-1 Championship, and was named All-Tournament and First Team All-American.  

Then she blew out a knee. Twice. The first injury wrecked the back half of the 2006 season, and the second wrecked 2007, and consideration for the World Cup and 2008 Olympics. She later said, “the injury was one of the best things that ever happened to me…it grounded me in a lot of ways…it made me stronger on all fronts.” In the fall of 2008, she led Portland to a 20-2 season, and was again All-American. And though she had one year of eligibility left, she did not come back for 2009 but moved on to the professional leagues.  

Which at the time were a little sketchy. In the then-developing world of women’s football, she had to go wherever the leagues were surviving; she played in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Sydney, Lyon and Seattle. She was a consistent star wherever she played.  

And then came the 2011 World Cup. As a substitute player coming on in the middle of the second game of the tournament, she scored her first goal, ran to the corner, picked up a live microphone and sang Born in the USA.  

But that was just a prelude to a miracle. On July 10, in a quarterfinal knock-out match against Brazil, the US women were trailing 2-1 in extra-time-injury-time, and down to 10 players. At the 121:15 mark, she received the ball just inside the attacking half. She touched it once with her left foot to push it forward about 10 yards, settled herself behind it, and then with her second touch unleashed a 45-yard screamer, again with her left foot, precisely onto to the head of Abby Wambach, who smashed it into the back of the net. It was the latest goal ever scored in a World Cup match, and was awarded the 2011 ESPN Play of the Year.  

You can see that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZdysC8y5no  

The team ultimately lost the final in a penalty shootout to Japan. But the following year, at the 2012 Olympics, she scored one game winner in the group stage, and two game-equalizers in the Semi-Final match. The first of these was an “Olympico” – a goal scored directly into the net from a corner kick – and was the first such goal ever scored in the Olympics. In the final she assisted on the game winner, as the US won gold.  

Through the years, she has been a tireless champion for civil rights. She has knelt for equality during the anthem. She is the leading voice for pay equality for female athletes. And she is an icon for LGBTQ folks, having posed on the cover of ESPN Magazine with her girlfriend, basketballer Sue Bird, both appearing powerful, statuesque, and tastefully doe-naked.  

And now we come to World Cup 2019. At age 33, she has had to work hard to retain her starting left-winger position against the next generation of players that she inspired. This past week as the team struggled against Spain, she scored two penalty kicks to send them through. And today she will captain the US team as they walk into the Parc des Princes in Paris to face off against host France.  

This tournament and the Olympics in 2020 may be her last hurrah. So, do yourself a favor: take a half-day Friday, or set your DVR for 3PM.  

And cheer on the playful heart and soul of the American side. The trashy-mouthed voice for equality. Cover-girl culture crusader. Captain America with a peroxide pixie. And one of the finest athletes this country has ever produced.  

All hail Megan Rapinoe.