(Reuters) – United States forward Megan Rapinoe will retire after this season, the 38-year-old said on Saturday, days before she leaves for the Women’s soccer World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The charismatic veteran will compete in her fourth World Cup when the tournament kicks off on July 20, and said she will hang up her cleats after completing her National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season.
“I feel very grateful that I’m here and that I have the trust of this team and that my body has held up this long to do this,” she told reporters.
The United States are gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive title when the World Cup kicks off. They play Wales in a farewell warm-up match on Sunday in San Jose, California.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York)
