This is my second post about the Women’s World Cup. First is here. Soccer isn’t real football but I’ll watch until the NFL starts. So there I am, sitting with family, watching the pre-game segments leading up to the U.S. Women’s game against Vietnam. Some guy is hopping next to a pademelon (some kind of kangaroo?) who won’t do what the host wants. Instead it poops. Interviews. Everyone predicting U.S. will shred Vietnam to pieces. Commercials. Every other clip is Megan Rapinoe. Ok, we get it, she’s retiring. Secretly everyone knows 38 is too old to be playing soccer.
The game starts.
U.S. scores. They score again. Halftime.
With about 30 minutes to go, Rapinoe enters the game. I tell my sister, “If the gay community wants to make any progress at all, Rapinoe needs to score a goal.” I’m only half joking. Did you know Dennis Rodman’s daughter is on the team? Crazy! Dennis is an all-time favorite NBA defender. Trinity Rodman.
The goalie for Vietnam is having an MVP performance.
The minutes are ticking by. Rapinoe with her blue hair (she looks better as a blonde) running around. The ball is passed to her. She proceeds to kick it in the air to no one in particular. Another pass. This one goes directly to a Vietnam player. Two corner kicks in a row from Rapinoe. One sails sky high over everyone. The other is on the ground, short. A third corner, nothing special. More kicks to Vietnam players.
Who decides which players play and which don’t? It’s the coach, right? Someone needs to tell Rapinoe that there are 22 players who will add benefits to the U.S. team (by not passing the ball to the opposing team, for instance), who should be in the game before her. But she’s an icon. Legacy. Gets in the game because of her history of talent.
Rapinoe will not help the American women win the Cup. I want a pademelon.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 