Megan Rapinoe blames Trump for halting USMNT World Cup momentum
U.S. women’s national team legend Megan Rapinoe said the U.S. men’s national team had a good vibe at the 2026 World Cup — until Donald Trump got involved.
Earlier this month, the U.S. president revealed he pushed FIFA president Gianni Infantino to reverse Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension ahead of the Belgium match in the round of 16.
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Though Infantino has insisted that Trump did not influence FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, which operates independently, Balogun’s suspension was lifted at the 11th hour in controversial fashion.
Even with its best forward available, the USMNT turned in a dismal performance against Belgium, losing 4-1 to crash out of the tournament.
“It didn’t give them the boost that they were thinking it would or that Trump was hoping that it would,” Rapinoe said on The Daily Show this week. “It seemed like it threw them off their game.”
The U.S. had won three of four World Cup games going into the match against Belgium. After turning in several impressive displays, the U.S. saw all of its momentum come to a halt at the worst time.
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According to Rapinoe, Trump has to shoulder some of the blame.
“They had such a good vibe,” she said of the USMNT. “I feel like they had that underdog kind of vibe going. And then you-know-who got involved, and everyone was like, ‘Nope. We don’t like it.’ And Belgium was like, ‘No, we absolutely can’t lose this game.'”
Trump’s intervention appears to have given extra motivation to Belgium, whose players were seen performing the president’s signature dance on the pitch and in the locker room after the game.
Balogun himself has admitted that the controversy surrounding the decision negatively impacted the USMNT.
Rapinoe and Trump have history
Rapinoe, of course, has a long history of speaking out against Trump and many of the issues he champions.
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Most memorably, Rapinoe angered Trump when she declared that she wouldn’t visit the White House if the USWNT won the 2019 World Cup — which it did.
Rapinoe won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball as the top goal-scorer and best overall player at the 2019 World Cup.
Trump hit out at Rapinoe during the 2019 World Cup, then again in 2021 when the USWNT fell short of winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
“If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of Leftist Maniacs, wasn’t woke, they would have won the Gold Medal instead of the Bronze,” Trump said in a statement.
“The woman with the purple hair played terribly and spends too much time thinking about Radical Left politics and not doing her job!” he added.
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It was a similar story at the 2023 World Cup, which saw Rapinoe miss a crucial penalty in a shootout defeat to Sweden in the round of 16.
“WOKE EQUALS FAILURE,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”
Rapinoe retired from soccer at the end of the 2023 NWSL season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Megan Rapinoe blames Trump for halting USMNT World Cup momentum
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