From her goal-scoring streak to open the year to coming up clutch at the Olympics, Megan Rapinoe put together yet another high-achieving year for the U.S. Women’s National Team and earned a nomination for the 2021 BioSteel U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.
While nominees are selected by U.S. Soccer’s technical staff, fans will now have the opportunity to vote on select Player of the Year Awards, with the fan vote comprising 15% of the total vote. Voting for the awards opened Monday, Dec. 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET and closes on Dec. 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced throughout the month of December.
Let’s revisit some of Rapinoe’s highlights from 2021:
- Rapinoe had yet another impactful year, finishing second (by only one goal) to Carli Lloyd in scoring on the USWNT with 10 goals, two of which were spectacular strikes in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. Rapinoe’s 10 goals are her most ever scored in a calendar year for the USA.
- Rapinoe’s first goal at the Olympics came directly off a corner – a true Olimpico – and she followed it up shortly after with a crushed full volley.
- The 36-year-old led the USA in key passes this year and tied with fellow Player of the Year nominee Lindsey Horan for the team lead in chances created in 2021, wrapping up the year with three assists.
- Overall, Rapinoe appeared in 19 matches for the USA in 2021, including all six matches at the Olympics where she converted the clinching penalty kick in the quarterfinal shootout vs. the Netherlands.
- Rapinoe scored in four consecutive games for the USWNT early in the year, the longest goal-scoring streak of her USWNT career. Her scoring streak began with the clinching goal in the USA’s 2-0 victory over Brazil and the 2021 SheBelieves Cup and culminated with the game-winning penalty kick against France in Le Havre.
- Rapinoe tallied against some of the world’s top teams, finding the net against Colombia (2), Brazil, Argentina (2), Sweden, France, Australia (2) and a banger in her final game of the year against the Korea Republic on Oct. 26, a match in which she also had an excellent assist on Alex Morgan’s goal.
- In the NWSL, Rapinoe helped OL Reign to a second-place regular season by playing in 12 matches and scoring six goals with three assists.
- Rapinoe’s six goals were her most in any NWSL season since 2018 and she also finished fourth on the Reign in 2021 in total chances created. She was named the NWSL Player of the Month for August.
This is Rapinoe’s sixth nomination for Female Player of the Year, and fourth in the last five years.
