Written by Nate Scott at FTW.com
USWNT coach Jill Ellis revealed her 18-woman roster headed to the Rio Olympics, and one name was surprising: Megan Rapinoe, who suffered a torn ACL in December and is still fighting back from the injury.
Rapinoe recently told Goal.com she won’t be ready for the USWNT first game against New Zealand, saying “maybe toward the end of the group stage and then looking into the knockout stage would be more of a realistic time for me.”
Rapinoe hasn’t seen a full 90 since her injury. She was benched in the USWNT friendly against South Africa on July 9 and then again sat out against Costa Rica, and even if she can return at the end of the group stage, it’s highly, highly unlikely she’d be match fit for a 90-minute game.
It begs the question: Why did Jill Ellis give her one of the precious few 18 roster spots?
Ellis cited leadership and creativity going forward as reasons she liked to have Rapinoe on the roster, and when it comes to quality of service and attacking inspiration, she’s right: Rapinoe is invaluable. Too often the USWNT can resort to lumping the ball forward, or waiting for a moment of inspiration from Alex Morgan or Carly Lloyd. Rapinoe (and Tobin Heath) provide that bit of creativity in the midfield that’s needed to unlock defenses, who you can bet will be sitting extremely deep against the Americans.
As Stars and Stripes FC pointed out, though, the U.S. does have Heather O’Reilly ready to play, who is a capable midfielder and provides those leadership qualities Ellis cited. She may not have the creative inspiration that Rapinoe can display, but she’s a hard-working midfielder who can make passes, win balls and score goals.
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