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| A U.S. Soccer Star’s Declaration of Independence | A U.S. Soccer Star’s Declaration of Independence |
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| LYON, France — The latest attempt at a women’s professional soccer league in the United States begins this weekend, so the stars of the American team from the London Olympics have, for the most part, returned to preaching the gospel stateside. Abby Wambach, the powerful striker, is with a team in Rochester; Alex Morgan, the pixieish, pink-headband-wearing poster girl, is in Portland, Ore.; and Hope Solo, the mercurial goalkeeper and “Dancing With the Stars” alumna, would be in Seattle were it not for a wrist injury. | LYON, France — The latest attempt at a women’s professional soccer league in the United States begins this weekend, so the stars of the American team from the London Olympics have, for the most part, returned to preaching the gospel stateside. Abby Wambach, the powerful striker, is with a team in Rochester; Alex Morgan, the pixieish, pink-headband-wearing poster girl, is in Portland, Ore.; and Hope Solo, the mercurial goalkeeper and “Dancing With the Stars” alumna, would be in Seattle were it not for a wrist injury. |
| But Megan Rapinoe is not with them. In truth, this is not unusual: she has always been the different one. She plays a position (midfielder) that is more about making others look good. She has never had an endorsement deal with a skin care line (Solo) nor a desire to pose in body paint (Morgan). And she is, after a matter-of-fact announcement last summer, one of the few prominent athletes to come out as gay while in the prime of her career. | But Megan Rapinoe is not with them. In truth, this is not unusual: she has always been the different one. She plays a position (midfielder) that is more about making others look good. She has never had an endorsement deal with a skin care line (Solo) nor a desire to pose in body paint (Morgan). And she is, after a matter-of-fact announcement last summer, one of the few prominent athletes to come out as gay while in the prime of her career. |
| Rapinoe does not mind being labeled a person who is difficult to label. “I prefer to think of it as quirky,” she said recently, walking past bistros and shops on a cobblestone street here. “But really, who wouldn’t do what I’m getting the chance to do if they had the chance?” | Rapinoe does not mind being labeled a person who is difficult to label. “I prefer to think of it as quirky,” she said recently, walking past bistros and shops on a cobblestone street here. “But really, who wouldn’t do what I’m getting the chance to do if they had the chance?” |
| It is not so much that Rapinoe, 27, does not support the new league, the National Women’s Soccer League. She does. She even has plans to join it this summer. But shortly after the United States beat Japan in the gold medal match at Wembley Stadium in London last August, Rapinoe received a message on Facebook from someone connected to Olympique Lyonnais, the French club with a women’s team that has won six consecutive French league championships and two straight European titles, and routinely wins its games by double-digit scores. This was the rough equivalent of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls calling. | It is not so much that Rapinoe, 27, does not support the new league, the National Women’s Soccer League. She does. She even has plans to join it this summer. But shortly after the United States beat Japan in the gold medal match at Wembley Stadium in London last August, Rapinoe received a message on Facebook from someone connected to Olympique Lyonnais, the French club with a women’s team that has won six consecutive French league championships and two straight European titles, and routinely wins its games by double-digit scores. This was the rough equivalent of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls calling. |
| After some investigating by her agent, Rapinoe realized the interest was genuine. And by early January she arrived here, settling into a furnished two-bedroom apartment that has a sporadically effective heater but, mercifully, a stout Internet connection. Her life is simple: she drives a Smart car around the city, speaks “busted French” in cafes and museums, and plays, quite effectively, for the best women’s club soccer team in the world. | After some investigating by her agent, Rapinoe realized the interest was genuine. And by early January she arrived here, settling into a furnished two-bedroom apartment that has a sporadically effective heater but, mercifully, a stout Internet connection. Her life is simple: she drives a Smart car around the city, speaks “busted French” in cafes and museums, and plays, quite effectively, for the best women’s club soccer team in the world. |
| Rapinoe is also paid well; she is making roughly 11,000 euros a month (just over $14,000), far more than just about anyone who will be playing in the American league. But the money — while “very nice,” she concedes — was not the only draw. Even the soccer, which is more free-flowing and fluid than the style the United States team typically plays, was only a part of the appeal. | Rapinoe is also paid well; she is making roughly 11,000 euros a month (just over $14,000), far more than just about anyone who will be playing in the American league. But the money — while “very nice,” she concedes — was not the only draw. Even the soccer, which is more free-flowing and fluid than the style the United States team typically plays, was only a part of the appeal. |
| Rapinoe was most attracted by the notion that she could disappear into another culture. A native of Palo Cedro, Calif., she grew up in a house that had six children, a chicken coop, cats, dogs and a seemingly endless supply of crayfish for catching outside. That she is now living in a city known for its festival of lights, snug alleyways, remarkable architecture and gastronomy, not to mention its passion for the sport she loves, is, with some regularity, overwhelming. | Rapinoe was most attracted by the notion that she could disappear into another culture. A native of Palo Cedro, Calif., she grew up in a house that had six children, a chicken coop, cats, dogs and a seemingly endless supply of crayfish for catching outside. That she is now living in a city known for its festival of lights, snug alleyways, remarkable architecture and gastronomy, not to mention its passion for the sport she loves, is, with some regularity, overwhelming. |
| That is why Rapinoe revels in it. She shops. She explores. She speaks the language (or at least attempts to), though for a while it seemed that the only phrase she had mastered was, Je suis désolée, je ne parle pas très bien français. (“I’m sorry, I don’t speak French very well.”) | That is why Rapinoe revels in it. She shops. She explores. She speaks the language (or at least attempts to), though for a while it seemed that the only phrase she had mastered was, Je suis désolée, je ne parle pas très bien français. (“I’m sorry, I don’t speak French very well.”) |
| “In the beginning, I joked with people that I felt a little bit like Helen Keller — like I couldn’t fully express myself,” Rapinoe said. “Obviously, that’s overstating it, but that feeling isn’t usual for me. In America, I’ve got something to say on just about everything. Here, less so — mostly because I didn’t really know how to say it.” | “In the beginning, I joked with people that I felt a little bit like Helen Keller — like I couldn’t fully express myself,” Rapinoe said. “Obviously, that’s overstating it, but that feeling isn’t usual for me. In America, I’ve got something to say on just about everything. Here, less so — mostly because I didn’t really know how to say it.” |
| She considered that for a moment. Then she said, “I know it sounds hard, but I also kind of love that.” | She considered that for a moment. Then she said, “I know it sounds hard, but I also kind of love that.” |
| Feeling Like a Tourist | Feeling Like a Tourist |
| One afternoon last month, a throng of soccer fans stood outside a cafe just off Rue Grenette. The fans pressed their noses against the glass of the window. Rapinoe sat inside, sipping a local wine and chatting with two visitors. | One afternoon last month, a throng of soccer fans stood outside a cafe just off Rue Grenette. The fans pressed their noses against the glass of the window. Rapinoe sat inside, sipping a local wine and chatting with two visitors. |
| After a few minutes, one of the out-of-towners asked Rapinoe if the fans, who had been loitering for nearly 10 minutes, were gawking at her. Rapinoe looked surprised and quickly glanced around the restaurant. | After a few minutes, one of the out-of-towners asked Rapinoe if the fans, who had been loitering for nearly 10 minutes, were gawking at her. Rapinoe looked surprised and quickly glanced around the restaurant. |
| “This place is part-owned by Éric Abidal,” she said as she eyed the other tables, referring to the French soccer star who plays for Barcelona. After just a few seconds, she nodded her head in the direction of a table near the staircase. | “This place is part-owned by Éric Abidal,” she said as she eyed the other tables, referring to the French soccer star who plays for Barcelona. After just a few seconds, she nodded her head in the direction of a table near the staircase. |
| “They’re looking at him,” she said, pointing with her eyes. Sitting a few tables over was Milan Bisevac, a defender on Lyon’s men’s team. | “They’re looking at him,” she said, pointing with her eyes. Sitting a few tables over was Milan Bisevac, a defender on Lyon’s men’s team. |
| “There’s a lot of support for the women’s team, but it’s not like I get stopped or anything,” she said. “The guys’ team are rock stars. Us? I know some of the girls on the team have been able to get out of speeding tickets and things, but I haven’t gotten any speeding tickets. I’ve just gotten a bunch of parking tickets, and I can’t get out of those.” | |
| If Rapinoe happens to be wearing something with the Lyon logo on it in public, she might be recognized by a fan of OL, as the team is known. Otherwise, as successful as the Lyon women’s team has been, there is still a measure of anonymity for its players. When a photographer hired by The New York Times asked to take some pictures of Rapinoe on one of the scenic pedestrian bridges that cross the Rhone, for example, none of the other passers-by seemed to notice. (They were mostly taking pictures themselves.) | If Rapinoe happens to be wearing something with the Lyon logo on it in public, she might be recognized by a fan of OL, as the team is known. Otherwise, as successful as the Lyon women’s team has been, there is still a measure of anonymity for its players. When a photographer hired by The New York Times asked to take some pictures of Rapinoe on one of the scenic pedestrian bridges that cross the Rhone, for example, none of the other passers-by seemed to notice. (They were mostly taking pictures themselves.) |
| “I do feel like a tourist and I want to feel like a tourist sometimes,” Rapinoe said. “I want to do everything. Some of the other girls on the team, I never see them out doing things. I don’t know what they do sometimes; but after training, I want to go do something and see something.” | “I do feel like a tourist and I want to feel like a tourist sometimes,” Rapinoe said. “I want to do everything. Some of the other girls on the team, I never see them out doing things. I don’t know what they do sometimes; but after training, I want to go do something and see something.” |
| That is how she ended up spending an evening at Lyon’s famed opera house, which has 18 levels, an elegant facade and a foyer; it is often praised as one of France’s most dramatic stages. Rapinoe, who readily admitted that she is not an opera enthusiast, settled in that night for what she described as an “amazing” performance by a company from the Czech Republic. | |
| There was only one small issue. “There were French subtitles,” she said. “I didn’t understand what the performers were saying because they were Czech and I kept looking at the subtitles and thinking: Why am I looking at these subtitles? I don’t know what they mean either.” | There was only one small issue. “There were French subtitles,” she said. “I didn’t understand what the performers were saying because they were Czech and I kept looking at the subtitles and thinking: Why am I looking at these subtitles? I don’t know what they mean either.” |
| Over all, Rapinoe does try to fit in as a local, and the European lifestyle seems to agree with her. Certainly it does from a soccer perspective, as Rapinoe’s searching passes and sharp eye for player movement have always conjured images of a slick playmaker from the continent more than the stereotypical American female soccer player who relies on size or speed to distinguish herself. | Over all, Rapinoe does try to fit in as a local, and the European lifestyle seems to agree with her. Certainly it does from a soccer perspective, as Rapinoe’s searching passes and sharp eye for player movement have always conjured images of a slick playmaker from the continent more than the stereotypical American female soccer player who relies on size or speed to distinguish herself. |
| “I can see why she likes it,” Julie Foudy, the former United States women’s team star and current analyst for ESPN, said in an interview. “She’s always been a player that loves the flair of the game and loves the nuances of the game.” | “I can see why she likes it,” Julie Foudy, the former United States women’s team star and current analyst for ESPN, said in an interview. “She’s always been a player that loves the flair of the game and loves the nuances of the game.” |
| Foudy added, “The thing about Megan is that you may not notice her over 90 minutes dominating a game, but when you go back and look at tape, she is the one that is creating chances.” | |
| As for Rapinoe’s conversations with Lyon’s loquacious coach, Patrice Lair, they are at times comical, as Lair attempts to communicate strategies through a combination of broken English and hand gestures. But Rapinoe has fit in well, scoring three goals in nine matches. | As for Rapinoe’s conversations with Lyon’s loquacious coach, Patrice Lair, they are at times comical, as Lair attempts to communicate strategies through a combination of broken English and hand gestures. But Rapinoe has fit in well, scoring three goals in nine matches. |
| None of them were as dramatic as her goals against Canada in the Olympic semifinal (or as important as her last-gasp crossing pass that set up Wambach’s game-tying goal in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil), but Rapinoe’s contributions to Lyon’s perpetual demolition of its opponents is meaningful all the same. | |
| When Rapinoe first arrived to train with the team, she heard comments from several players who were surprised by how she looked. “She’s not as big as the others,” Rapinoe heard a few teammates saying to one another, and it served as a reminder that “the perception of the American team is that we’re all giants who just push everyone else around,” Rapinoe said. “That isn’t me.” | When Rapinoe first arrived to train with the team, she heard comments from several players who were surprised by how she looked. “She’s not as big as the others,” Rapinoe heard a few teammates saying to one another, and it served as a reminder that “the perception of the American team is that we’re all giants who just push everyone else around,” Rapinoe said. “That isn’t me.” |
| It also made Rapinoe feel more at ease. It was a reminder, after all, that she is not the typical American. Somehow, that made her feel as if she belonged. | It also made Rapinoe feel more at ease. It was a reminder, after all, that she is not the typical American. Somehow, that made her feel as if she belonged. |
| Coming Out | Coming Out |
| The one area that is, perhaps, less comfortable for Rapinoe in France than it is in the United States is her sexual orientation. She told her family she was gay eight years ago, a task that she said was not easy, particularly since the family house was across the street from a church. | |
| Her twin sister, Rachael, who is older by 11 minutes, is also gay. The two have always been close — as children they would hold hands through the bars of the crib when one or the other was given a timeout — and so it was fitting that they came out to each other in an emotional conversation during their sophomore year at the University of Portland. | |
| “It was just a matter of one of us saying it first,” Rachael said. “That was really it. I had been dating someone and one of us said it first. It was a ripple effect. We both kind of came to the realization that we’re in this together.” | “It was just a matter of one of us saying it first,” Rachael said. “That was really it. I had been dating someone and one of us said it first. It was a ripple effect. We both kind of came to the realization that we’re in this together.” |
| From that point forward, Rapinoe did not especially hide her sexual orientation, but she also did not consider a more public declaration until one of her best friends on the United States team, Lori Lindsey, brought it up to her on the team’s flight home from the 2011 World Cup in Germany. | |
| Lindsey, who is also gay, told Rapinoe she should not be hesitant to simply say who she was. “I had become more vocal for gay marriage and gay rights on social media, and at some point it just felt a little inauthentic,” Rapinoe said. “Lori said it and it was like one of those moments where I was like, ‘You know, you’re right.’ ” | |
| Rapinoe publicly said that she was gay in an interview with Out magazine just before the Olympics, and she spoke openly about it during the Games and afterward. Rapinoe’s mother, Denise, admitted that she had concerns about how some segments of the United States team’s fan base might respond — “there are a lot of traditional family structure people,” she said — but Rapinoe said the American fans have been overwhelmingly positive. | |
| In Europe, however, Rapinoe senses a lingering unease. The feeling does not come from her Lyon teammates, but is rather more of an intangible societal sentiment. It perhaps was what Robbie Rogers, a former American men’s national team player who came out as gay in February, was referring to when he said that if he ever plays again, it will almost surely be in Major League Soccer and not in England, where he most recently competed. | |
| Perceptions about women in Europe are not necessarily as progressive as some people might think, Rapinoe said. An adviser to Lyon’s team president recently came under scrutiny after a radio appearance in which he refused to answer a question from a female caller because women, he said, “should get back to cooking.” | Perceptions about women in Europe are not necessarily as progressive as some people might think, Rapinoe said. An adviser to Lyon’s team president recently came under scrutiny after a radio appearance in which he refused to answer a question from a female caller because women, he said, “should get back to cooking.” |
| Rapinoe said that, in general, “there’s still a machismo here, and I would have thought the reverse.” | |
| “It’s weird,” she added. “Gay marriage passed in the government here, but there’s still a feeling that stereotypes against female athletes are harsher.” | “It’s weird,” she added. “Gay marriage passed in the government here, but there’s still a feeling that stereotypes against female athletes are harsher.” |
| That feeling only adds to the most appealing aspect of Rapinoe’s eventual return to the United States — the possibility of living with her longtime girlfriend, Sarah Walsh, a former member of the Australian women’s soccer team. The two met in 2009 when they were playing in the Women’s Professional Soccer league, which is now defunct. | That feeling only adds to the most appealing aspect of Rapinoe’s eventual return to the United States — the possibility of living with her longtime girlfriend, Sarah Walsh, a former member of the Australian women’s soccer team. The two met in 2009 when they were playing in the Women’s Professional Soccer league, which is now defunct. |
| The couple fell quickly into a strong long-distance relationship, battling the two familiar challenges all separated couples face: time zones and weak Internet signals. | The couple fell quickly into a strong long-distance relationship, battling the two familiar challenges all separated couples face: time zones and weak Internet signals. |
| “We make fun of each other a lot and one of the things I love about her is that she can make fun of herself,” Walsh said. “People are drawn to her.” | “We make fun of each other a lot and one of the things I love about her is that she can make fun of herself,” Walsh said. “People are drawn to her.” |
| After more than three years, they are ready to stop relying on robust Wi-Fi to be in touch. Walsh has applied for a green card, and Rapinoe said they hope to live together on the West Coast. | |
| “I love it over here and I love what I’m doing,” she said. “But that’s the thing that makes me really, really excited about going home.” | “I love it over here and I love what I’m doing,” she said. “But that’s the thing that makes me really, really excited about going home.” |
| Realistic Goals | Realistic Goals |
| Lately, Rapinoe has felt some other twinges about being away. She very much wants the new soccer league to succeed and for women’s soccer to gain a formidable hold in America’s sports landscape. | |
| Like other players, she dreams of big American crowds and a league flush with resources. Why not? She started her career the traditional way, wearing a pink jersey that “pretty much swallowed her up it was so big,” her mother recalled, and went from that group of 6-year-olds to all-star clubs and the occasional boys’ team to the college team at Portland and, eventually, the national team in 2006, where she has played in 72 games and scored 22 goals while also coming back from two significant knee injuries. | Like other players, she dreams of big American crowds and a league flush with resources. Why not? She started her career the traditional way, wearing a pink jersey that “pretty much swallowed her up it was so big,” her mother recalled, and went from that group of 6-year-olds to all-star clubs and the occasional boys’ team to the college team at Portland and, eventually, the national team in 2006, where she has played in 72 games and scored 22 goals while also coming back from two significant knee injuries. |
| “Of course I want to see the league do well and everyone to love it,” she said. “But I also want us to be realistic.” | “Of course I want to see the league do well and everyone to love it,” she said. “But I also want us to be realistic.” |
| The two previous attempts at a national women’s league were doomed by financial overreaching and poor business operations. This version has the backing of the United States Soccer Federation, which is an important factor, Rapinoe said. But she also cautioned that everyone — organizers, players and fans — needed to adjust their expectations. | The two previous attempts at a national women’s league were doomed by financial overreaching and poor business operations. This version has the backing of the United States Soccer Federation, which is an important factor, Rapinoe said. But she also cautioned that everyone — organizers, players and fans — needed to adjust their expectations. |
| “Do I think we need a league? Yes,” she said. “Do I think it needs to be the best, greatest league since sliced bread? No. And I think that’s where we’ve gone wrong in the past. I think it’s important to have one. But it’s not going to be the E.P.L.; let’s stop shooting for that,” she said, referring to the English Premier League. | “Do I think we need a league? Yes,” she said. “Do I think it needs to be the best, greatest league since sliced bread? No. And I think that’s where we’ve gone wrong in the past. I think it’s important to have one. But it’s not going to be the E.P.L.; let’s stop shooting for that,” she said, referring to the English Premier League. |
| Rapinoe plans to join the Seattle franchise at some point in June. Soon after the season ends, the national team will start intensifying preparations as the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada begins to draw closer. | |
| Rapinoe figures she will certainly play through that World Cup cycle, but at the moment she has done her best not to look too far ahead. Sitting in Abidal’s cafe, with the sun reflecting off the window, she shrugged at a question about her future and said, “I think about it, but mostly, right now, I’m trying to just enjoy all of this.” | Rapinoe figures she will certainly play through that World Cup cycle, but at the moment she has done her best not to look too far ahead. Sitting in Abidal’s cafe, with the sun reflecting off the window, she shrugged at a question about her future and said, “I think about it, but mostly, right now, I’m trying to just enjoy all of this.” |
| Moments later the waiter glided by. Rapinoe stopped him. She smiled and asked for another glass of wine. She ordered in French. | Moments later the waiter glided by. Rapinoe stopped him. She smiled and asked for another glass of wine. She ordered in French. |