Capitol riots ‘very disturbing and scary’

USWNT star Megan Rapinoe called last week’s US Capitol riot “very disturbing and scary”.

Rapinoe spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since a crowd that supported President Donald J. Trump invaded and occupied the US Capitol. The violent riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer.

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“I think the courage of the legislators to go back there and continue their work, and the total lack of background of some of these legislators in continuing to incite violence and still call for the turn of the election when the mandate was given by the United States and the people from the United States, it’s absolutely insane, “said Rapinoe, who joined the USWNT at his January camp after almost a year of the team’s absence.

“They must be held accountable.”

Throughout his career, Rapinoe has openly championed equal pay and other issues of social justice, including LGBTQ rights. She fought Trump via Twitter during the World Cup and, last year, was involved in initiatives to get votes in support of President-elect Joe Biden.

She was thrilled when asked how it felt to see other NWSL players kneel and speak out against systemic racism during the Challenge Cup. In 2016, Rapinoe knelt in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. US Soccer responded by banning players from kneeling during the anthem, a rule that was rescinded last June.

“I am very proud and respectful of so many people who are going through this journey, learning and growing, and feeling more comfortable talking about things,” she said. “What we saw during the summer and during the pandemic, with the protests, I hope that many people’s eyes will open, especially my white teammates.”

She praised US Soccer for apologizing for the ban.

Rapinoe, 35, last played for the national team on March 11, when he scored in the SheBelieves Cup’s 3-1 win over Japan. She told reporters she was happy to be back in football.

“In fact, I feel very well physically and just refreshed in many ways, mentally and emotionally. Obviously, I spent a lot of time in quarantine at home with Sue [Bird] and just being able to relax, “said Rapinoe.” But I am obviously very excited to start playing again. It was very difficult not to be on the field with my teammates and not have a consistent training environment. Anyone who really knows me knows that I hate working out on my own as I am. “

When the coronavirus started to spread in the United States last March and the National Women’s Football League canceled its season, Rapinoe – who plays for OL Reign – calmed down at home.

She chose not to participate in the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament in a Utah bubble last summer and the league’s autumn series. She also chose not to participate in the national team camp in October.

She said that part of her reasoning for the break was the fear of COVID-19, but she was also exhausted by the turmoil that came after the United States’ victory at the World Cup in France. Rapinoe received the honors of FIFA’s Best Player and Golden Ball after her participation in the first football tournament.

In her career, Rapinoe has scored 52 goals and 68 assists in 168 games for the national team since his first call in 2006. She scored on a penalty in the United States’ victory over the Netherlands in the 2019 World Cup final.

During this summer’s vacation, she hosted the HBO special “Seeing America”, which included Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and she released a memoir, “One Life”. In October, she and WNBA veteran Sue Bird announced their engagement.

Coach Vlatko Andonovski said Rapinoe did not disregard his fitness during the layoff. He expects Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, who have not played since last spring due to injury, to get a few minutes in two exhibition games against Colombia later this month in Orlando, Florida.

“Megan and Carli have been doing tremendous, tremendous work. Our high-performance department, high-performance coach, has been monitoring everything they are doing,” said Andonovski. “We have a good idea of ​​where they are. In fact, the two are slightly ahead of what we expected to be at January camp from the physical point of view.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.