Former U.S. women’s national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe believes the men's team was less prepared to handle the "circus" of political and public distractions that surrounded their World Cup campaign, potentially contributing to their loss. Rapinoe, speaking on her podcast "A Touch More: The Beautiful Game," drew a comparison to the U.S. Women's National Team's experience during their 2019 World Cup victory.
That tournament coincided with the team's equal-pay lawsuit filing. Rapinoe stated that this prior experience made the women's team "a little bit more prepared" for public attention and criticism, including from then-President Donald Trump. In contrast, she suggested the men's team lacked the seasoned players accustomed to such pressures and were not accustomed to addressing controversial off-field issues.
"I think the distraction got to the team for sure in some type of way," Rapinoe said, referring to events like a red-card suspension that FIFA later rescinded after presidential intervention. "Whether it was, you know, this red card situation, whether it was being in a public discourse with this president, all of the shenanigans and chaos that comes with that."
Rapinoe noted that many players in men's soccer typically do not engage with broader public discourse or use their platforms for issues beyond the sport. She suggested that this was potentially the first time many of these players had to confront significant off-field controversy, hindering their ability to compartmentalize and manage nervous energy.
While acknowledging the difficulty in quantifying the impact, Rapinoe suggested that the "discourse with the president" and related chaos were significant factors. She also commented on coach Mauricio Pochettino's teams, suggesting they often perform better as underdogs. Rapinoe praised Belgium as a strong opponent and acknowledged the U.S. men's team has been inconsistent. "I’m just bummed for them and bummed for us because it was a really fun run," she concluded, adding that the team did not handle the pressure of the quarterfinal match or the surrounding "circus" effectively.