ESPNW has a great short film called What Makes Us: “Pinoe”, an inside look at Megan Rapinoe and her preparation for the upcoming World Cup. (It’s only eight days away!)
If you’re as psyched about the games as we are, you’ll be happy to learn a few new facts about one of the USWNT’s out and proud star players. Here’s what we learned about Megan from the women-directed documentary.
1. She became obsessed with soccer because her older brother played. “I was a total tomboy growing up so I kind of-not kind of, I totally idolized him.”
2. And then she played on traveling boys teams. “It challenged me a lot. I was never the best one all the time.”
3. She was heavily recruited out of high school. “The Fed Ex truck just kept coming and coming and for days they just kept dropping off all the recruitment letters and the phone was ringing,” says Megan’s mom Denise.
4. Her first World Cup was one of the best moments of her life. Being named to the USWNT in 2011 was “one of the coolest and most proud moments” she’s had.
5. But she was super bummed to find out she wasn’t starting in the 2011 World Cup. “I was pissed, obviously. I don’t think that anyone can just swallow their pride that much and not be pissed about it.”
6. Her mom is so proud of her. It’s so freaking cute.
7. Megan isn’t happy about winning the silver in 2011. “It’s still hard to talk about,” she says.
8. She started thinking about coming out on the plane ride home from Germany after the World Cup was over. “It started to feel very weird that I wasn’t out publicly. I think everyone knew that I was gay so why wasn’t I saying it? I’m not ashamed of who I am. I want people to know that I’m gay. “
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will kick off June 6 in Vancouver. We can’t wait! Emily Anderson will be continuing soccer coverage for AfterEllen. Follow her on Twitter: @emcanderson
