A look at one of Megan Rapinoe's most iconic moments ahead of NWSL Championship, retirement: 'I deserve this'
CBSN
The dual meaning behind Rapione's boozy declaration at the parade after winning the 2019 Women's World Cup
When the final whistle blows on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, either the OL Reign or Gotham FC will have won their first-ever NWSL Championship. Eleven seasons ago, Megan Rapinoe joined a struggling Seattle Reign team and helped her teammates buy into head coach Laura Harvey's vision.
"Results-wise, we were in a bad place," Harvey told CBS Sports in September. "[Rapinoe] walked through the door and just gave everybody a lift because we knew we weren't far away. And she gave us the light to go, 'We're really close now.' And it was literally overnight. We drew the next game, we won the one after that, and then we went on a little roll, and ... she was the catalyst of that."
To say that a win for the now OL Reign alongside Harvey – and her fellow original Reign teammates Lauren "Lu" Barnes and Jess Fishlock – on Saturday would be the perfect storybook ending feels like an understatement. Many Reign players have admitted this has added extra motivation to their playoff run.
These teams can create much-needed cap space and become players in free agency
Jokić is rewriting NBA record books on a near-nightly basis
Four surprising free agency moves, or lack thereof, that could occur this offseason
A trade for the No. 1 overall pick happens for the second time in three years
The final will be in New Jersey, so could Bruce Springsteen be the choice?
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted on three continents
It was only a few years ago when many expected Davis, Haney, Garcia, Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson to take over the sport
Second leg matches will take place on March 11 and 12
White has finally decided to make the leap into boxing after years of teasing a move
Any optimism in Dallas died before Davis played his second game as a Maverick
Which veterans should teams try to keep in-house?
Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz found the net in the 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu
Davis must figure out the mental part of his game again if he wants to look like the superstar of old