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Megan Rapinoe’s USWNT finale is set for September

Rapinoe announced before the World Cup that she would retire from playing at the end of the year. She'll bring down the curtain on her national team career next month.

Megan Rapinoe on the sideline during the U.S.-Sweden game that knocked the Americans out of the women's World Cup.
Megan Rapinoe on the sideline during the U.S.-Sweden game that knocked the Americans out of the women's World Cup.Read moreScott Barbour / AP

U.S. women’s soccer team star Megan Rapinoe will suit up for her country for the final time on Sept. 24, when the Americans host South Africa in Chicago.

It will be the second game of two in a short series for the nations, both of which went out of the recent World Cup in the round of 16. That was a historic success for Banyana Banyana, as South Africa’s women’s team is known, and a historic failure for the Americans.

The series will start on Sept. 21 in Cincinnati, Rose Lavelle’s hometown. The U.S. team said Rapinoe won’t play in that game.

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Rapinoe announced before the World Cup that she would retire from playing at the end of the year. She will sign off with her 203rd career senior national team appearance since her debut in 2006. She’s one of 14 U.S. players all time to top the 200-cap total, and her 63 goals and 73 assists rank in the program’s top 10 in both categories.

Notably, she’s the only player in the U.S. women’s team’s 50/50 club with more assists than goals.

The 38-year-old northern California native has played in four World Cups and three Olympics, with three major titles on her mantle. She will end her playing career entirely after the NWSL season. Her last regular-season home game with Seattle-based OL Reign, on Oct. 6 against Washington, recently was moved to prime time on CBS’ main network.

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It’s not clear yet how much of the team for the South Africa series will be the World Cup squad and how much will be new players. All we know for sure is there will be an interim manager at the helm, Twila Kilgore, while new U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker continues to search for Vlatko Andonovski’s successor.

Nor do we know yet whether Kilgore or the new boss will be in charge for the October series against Colombia that was announced Monday. Those games are set for Oct. 26 in suburban Salt Lake City and Oct. 29 in San Diego.

The USWNT’s autumn schedule

Thursday, Sept. 21: vs. South Africa at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, Universo, Peacock)

Sunday, Sept. 24: vs. South Africa at Soldier Field, Chicago, 5:30 p.m. (TNT, Universo, Peacock)

Thursday, Oct. 26: vs. Colombia at Sandy, Utah, 9 p.m. (TBS, Universo, Peacock)

Sunday, Oct. 29: vs. Colombia at San Diego, 5:30 p.m. (TNT, Telemundo 62, Universo, Peacock)