Megan Rapinoe: "I held my share of the market" after exchanges with Trump

Two days after winning the second consecutive World Cup title and fourth place overall, co-captain Megan Rapinoe was ready to declare this year's team the best women's football team of all time.

"With all due respect to all the teams that came before, I think the game has gone much further than ever," Rapinoe told ESPN. "It's at the highest level anywhere in the world. I think we are constantly pushing ourselves and being pushed by all the other teams, and the game continues to improve. It's hard to compare times – I think all sports have that – but I think we have at least a good argument. "

In an interview with Jeremy Schaap in New York ahead of Wednesday's Broadway show, Rapinoe and teammate Alex Morgan also spoke to President Donald Trump.

Before the World Cup, Rapinoe, who was not singing at the national anthem, described herself as "traveling protest when it comes to the Trump administration". saying "I'm not going to the White House" was released the day after the US quarter-final advance against France.

In a series of tweets, Trump responded, "I am a big fan of the US team and women's soccer, but Megan should win first before talking to her! Finish the job! We have not yet. . . invited Megan or the team, but I now invite the team, to win or lose. "

Trump added, "Megan should never disrespect our country, the White House or our flag, especially since so much has already been done for her and her team. Be proud of the flag you are wearing. The United States is doing well!

"I think we know who won," Morgan said on Tuesday when he was asked to put the political context of the fourth title of the team into perspective.

"I've held my share of the market on that one," agreed Rapinoe.

Rapinoe has won both the Golden Boot Trophy for the tournament's top scorer and the Golden Ball Trophy as the most valuable player in the World Cup. She scored six goals in all, including the winning goal on a shot at goal in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Netherlands.

"I see that as a positive thing," Rapinoe told ESPN about his dealings with Trump. "I think when that happened, we kept a very tight bubble and the whole group supported me so much, but it felt positive, in a way. Obviously, I think the tweets were negative, as they usually do, but I think we just did it. . . realized at that time, we are so much more than we are on the ground. I think this team really understands and is so proud to be able to take other people with us when we enter the field. This is the game, of course, and we want to win, but knowing the impact we already had and knowing the impact we would have on our return, the motivation for that alone is incredible. "

A day after the United States qualified for the final, Rapinoe responded to some of her critics by claiming that she was "particularly, singularly, and deeply American."

"If we want to talk about the ideals we defend, the song and the anthem and what we are based on, I think I am extremely American," she told reporters. "For detractors, I would have them look closely in what I'm really saying, in the actions I'm doing. Maybe you do not agree with every way I do, and this can be discussed. I know I'm not perfect. "

On Tuesday, she recalled the role of her team in representing the country.

"I obviously think we are very lucky to wear the jersey and represent America in a way that no team really does," she said. "We are very lucky, we play all kinds of games throughout the year and I think we do an amazing job representing every American."

In addition to talking openly about Trump, Rapinoe joined her teammates to draw attention to the pay gap between male and female sports throughout the tournament. Three months before the start of the World Cup, members of the American women's team sued the American Football Federation for legal action for sex discrimination.

"I think we really want a collaborative approach with American football," Morgan said. "I think we are very optimistic about this. They did an incredible job supporting us. This World Cup simply shows what the federations support their teams and who really pushed it furthest. You look at England, France, our team, in comparison with Brazil, which has so much potential, that could easily qualify for the final given its quality, but that does not quite support. We must continue to move forward and I think we are doing it. "

"We must always be open to progress and sometimes it takes some people some time to get there, but I think his eyes are wide open and I will certainly continue to open them at any time," he said. Rapinoe at FIFA. President Gianni Infantino, to whom she again called to address the problem of equal pay after Sunday's victory.

While Trump joined other politicians in congratulating the USWNT for his fourth social media title, he seems to have downgraded on his invitation to the White House.

"We did not really think about it," Trump said Sunday, according to Voice of America. "We will watch this."