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Megan Rapinoe talks U.S. rivalry with Canada, compares Sinclair to Ibrahimovic
Excitement's building for the 2015 Women's World Cup, to be held in Canada in less than a month, and part of that excitement is about the rivalry between the U.S. and Canadian teams.
That rivalry's always been present, but it's heated up in recent years following the Americans' controversial penalty-aided win over Canada in the 2012 Olympic semifinals (the Canadians would go on to take bronze). Adding to the fire are Canadian-born American star Sydney Leroux's claims Canadian fans directed racist chants at her during a 2013 friendly in Winnipeg and the recent lawsuit by an American-led group of players to try and force Canada to use grass fields instead of turf ones for the tournament (which was ultimately unsuccessful).
U.S. star Megan Rapinoe further fanned some of those rivalry flames with an article for The Players' Tribune on Friday (keep in mind that TPT often transcribes these, though, so whether this is actually written by her or just her spoken, transcribed and edited commentary is debatable), with her comments on the turf issue and her thoughts on the Canadian team:
So, Canada doesn’t like us very much. The U.S. Men’s National Team has Mexico. We have Canada.
Personally, I don’t hate them, but I can understand why they’re still mad about the “delay of game” call on their keeper that sparked our crazy comeback win in the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics. They thought the penalty was B.S., and looking back, maybe it wasn’t the most deserved penalty. But it wasn’t like the game was 1-0. We scored three other goals, plus the goal in extra time. Still, I can understand why they feel hard-done by the call.
The tension of the rivalry has been building since that game, and I feel like it’s fueling them going into the World Cup. Tactically, when they play us, their mentality is, “We’re going to do whatever we have to do to win. The gloves are off.” ...
Being on their home turf, Canada will be fired up. I hope they do well. I honestly do. It will build the buzz for the World Cup, which is what we all want. It’s ironic that FIFA’s hardline stance on the artificial turf issue sparked a controversy in the run-up to the tournament, because it created a bit of a false public perception about the strength of our game. The reality is that the women’s game is healthier and more exciting than ever.
It’s going to pop off next month. We’re coming, Canada.
Rapinoe's not wrong there, and her comments show more perspective and understanding of why Canada's aggrieved over that Olympic result than many comments we've seen from American players. Still, her comments come off as a little patronizing, and her use of "invade Canada' is a little curious, considering how that has actually happened a couple of times and didn't end well for the Americans in either instance. She is more positive about Canadian star Christine Sinclair, though, comparing her to legendary Swedish men's star Zlatan Ibrahimovic:
Christine Sinclair is their leader and all-around best player. She’s going to have to be massive for them. Her style is comparable a bit to Zlatan Ibrahimovic (and I mean that as a purely on-field comparison. Personality-wise, I would never compare anyone to Zlatan. There is only one Zlatan). Sinclair is a technically exceptional center forward who can change the game in an instant, much like Zlatan does for Sweden and Paris Saint-Germain. If she plays well, Canada plays well.
All in all, that's not a bad article from Rapinoe, and it should help raise some awareness of and excitement for the World Cup. Her comments about Canada aren't terribly inflamnatory (although some of her griping about the turf may raise Canadian hackles), even if they do seem a bit "well, good for you." She shouldn't be faulted for writing (or dictating) this. Her comments may still provide yet more motivation for the Canadian team to do well and hopefully earn a rematch with the U.S. at some point in the tournament, though.
