Hints of purple are coloring the Seattle area this weekend for the Reign to honor soccer icon Megan Rapinoe. The club will retire her No. 15 jersey Sunday during a pregame ceremony at Lumen Field.
Rapinoe, whose clothing and hairstyle choices are imaginative like her talent with the ball, joined the Reign as an allocated U.S. women’s national team player during Seattle’s inaugural season in 2013.
She retired from the sport last fall as the club’s all-time leader in goals scored (54) with 28 assists, including the postseason. The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner helped the Reign win three NWSL Shields, an award for the top-finishing team after the regular season. The California native returned to her Seattle home Wednesday and took time to talk with The Seattle Times regarding her latest business adventures, the state of the Reign, tattoos and what it means to have her jersey retired.
Here are excerpts of the conversation, which is edited for clarity and brevity. Jayda Evans : It hasn’t been a year since your retirement in November, are you ready to see your number commemorated? Megan Rapinoe : It’s a beautiful thing to be recognized and honored in this way. The sooner the better.
What’s the point in waiting? It kind of feels right, especially with the ownership change and the club moving in a new direction. It feels like the right time to have this maybe be a bridge between the past and where the club is moving in the future. Q: Was their any significance .