Lesbian soccer icon and two-time Women's World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe will play her last professional match against South Africa on Sunday, Sept. 24, in Chicago, U.S. Soccer announced.
The match (scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT) will have the U.S. women's national team (USWNT) finishing a two-game series with its opponent. Rapinoe will not play in the first match against South Africa on Sept. 21 in Cincinnati.
Rapinoe will be honored before the match to celebrate her career and for her 200th cap, which she earned July 9 versus Wales in San Jose, California.
Rapinoe is the 14th American to reach 200 games played for her country. She currently has 63 career goals and 73 assists for the USWNT, ranking her in the top 10 in U.S. history in both categories.
On July 8, Rapinoe announced her retirement from professional soccer following the conclusion of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. Rapinoe's final regular-season match with the OL Reign is scheduled for Oct. 15. The Reign will play its final regular-season home game on Oct. 6 against the Washington Spirit in a match being billed as "Forever Reign: A Celebration of Megan Rapinoe."
Tickets for Rapinoe's USWNT "Farewell Game" on Sept. 24 are available at www.ussoccer.com/competitions/uswnt-friendlies-2023/matches/uswnt-vs-south-africa-chicago-illinois-9-24-23.
Andrew Davis