Sorry, Reign FC fans. This World Cup star won’t play in Sunday’s match at Cheney Stadium

In her first press conference in Tacoma following the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Reign FC’s Megan Rapinoe was very blunt when asked about her status for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Red Stars at Cheney Stadium.

“I’m not gonna be playing on Sunday, I feel terrible,” Rapinoe said with a laugh.

“I’m exhausted. Just in general I think everyone is pretty much the same. I knew people were playing last weekend and I saw a picture of Tobin (Heath) checking in I was like, I don’t know how she was doing this. How was this possible?”

While in France, Rapinoe suffered what Reign FC head coach Vlatko Andonovski described as an “inflamed Achilles.” He said while the injury is not serious he wants to make sure that she is healthy for the long term.

Rapinoe has not suited up for a regular season match for Reign FC since the team moved to Tacoma this spring. She missed time dealing with a calf injury in the beginning of the season and then entered USWNT camp in May.

“Generally, that type of injury takes about two weeks to recover from so she should be good to go in a few weeks,” Andonovski said.

During the 2019 World Cup, Rapinoe was injured in the quarterfinal match against France and missed out on playing in the semifinal match against England. Aside from the injuries, Rapinoe’s performance throughout the World Cup captured the attention of the entire world.

The Reign FC forward scored six goals in five matches to win the Golden Boot award for the tournament, the Golden Ball for the best overall player in the tournament as the US Women’s National Team took home their fourth World Cup title. After the tournament, Rapinoe and the rest of the team partied as world champions should as they were featured on TV and their celebrations went viral all over social media. So it may be a bit understandable why Rapinoe may need some time to recuperate, injury aside.

“Obviously I had an extended run a little more than the rest of the team,” Rapinoe said. “Still feeling a little bit from the tournament and the final game and just mentally and emotionally--all of that. Not even ready for focus on anything else right now, but obviously I’ll be here smiling, kissing babies and stuff.”

Reign FC hosts the Chicago Red Stars at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cheney Stadium.

This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 5:35 PM.