US Women’s National Team centurions Ali Krieger and Megan Rapinoe could play each other in the National Women’s Soccer League Playoff Final if their respective teams win their semi-finals.
Best friends Krieger and Rapinoe announced earlier this year that this will be their last professional season.
Their final goodbyes to the women’s soccer community are being pushed further and further back as NJNY Gotham and OL Reign continue to advance through the Playoffs.
Gotham beat North Carolina Courage 2-0 in the quarter finals yesterday; Reign knocked out Angel City with a 1-0 win.
Krieger and Rapinoe are WoSo fan-favourites, and have been stars of the league since its inauguration in 2012.
Both have also spent time in Europe – Krieger played for Frankfurt and Tyresö and Rapinoe featured for Reign partners, Olympique Lyonnais.
However, they are mainly known worldwide for their success with the USWNT.
They each have two FIFA Women’s World Cup gold medals from Canada 2015 and France 2019 – Rapinoe also won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot of the latter tournament.
Between them they also have medals from the Olympics, CONCACAF tournament, the SheBelieves tournament and Algarve Cup.
To reach the final, Krieger’s Gotham will need to beat second seed Portland Thorns, and Rapinoe’s Reign will face top seed San Diego Wave.
The Wave have been in stellar form since their expansion in 2022, and have already won the NWSL Shield this season.
If Gotham and Reign can both reach the final, there will be plenty of tissues needed inside the stadium.
