Megan Rapinoe doesn't intend for the USWNT to leave Tokyo empty handed.
The United States women's national team star stressed the importance of winning the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics Monday in an interview with NBC and a subsequent press conference. Team USA was aiming to win the women's soccer competition, but its quest for gold ended on a 1-0 loss to Canada in the semifinals. Rapinoe revealed to NBC what she told her teammates after the defeat.
"Still a lot to compete for. That's what I told the girls, and we talked about it in the (post-game) huddle," Rapinoe said. "It's not the color we want, but there's still a medal on the line. That's a huge thing, and we want to win that game."
Reporters questioned Rapinoe, 36, about her future on the international stage, but she repeated her message about winning the next game.
"I was wondering how quickly that question would come," Rapinoe said, per ESPN's Caitlin Murray. "You guys are trying to put me out to pasture already.
"Any medal is really special and I think we can't lose sight of that, you know, especially considering the year that everyone's gone through, and what it's taken just to be here, what it takes to even just be on the WNT," Rapinoe concluded, per The Athletic's Meg Linehan.
The USWNT will conclude its Olympic campaign Thursday when it faces Australia in the bronze medal game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 a.m. ET.
