Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe cut striking figures as they posed for Sports Illustrated in bikinis, following their World Cup win. Morgan and Rapinoe scored the two goals that won the U.S. national women’s team the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. As fans saw in the photos, they have the abs to prove it.
Morgan and Rapinoe appeared in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, along with teammates Crystal Dunn, Abby Dahlkemper and some others. Their pictures were released online on Tuesday by editor M.J. Day.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The soccer stars posed for the magazine in the Caribbean island nation St. Lucia. As Day explained in her caption, she did not post the pictures before the World Cup final for fear that she would jinx the team’s staggering success. Once they had claimed the title however, she felt safe posting them on Instagram.
“I couldn’t bring myself to post something prior to the game because as insane as it sounds, I didn’t want to jinx it. Alex, We have been friends for years and Megan, Crystal and Abby I fell in love with you guys on our shoot,” Day wrote. “I feel so connected to you all as humans, as a woman and as a FAN. Like so many, I wanted this so badly for you all, for your team and for the world to see just what 22 women can do. Win, yes but use your power for good in ways that will affect all of us.”
The Sports Illustrated story puts a particular focus on the U.S. women’s national team’s fight for gender equality within the sports world — notably for equal pay to the men in the same league. Rapinoe in particular has been outspoken in this fight, as well as her support for LGBTQ issues and her condemnation of the Trump administration.
Rapinoe and Morgan are co-captions of the team, and so far they have shown solidarity in the issue of a proposed White House visit. However, Rapinoe told Sports Illustrated that she takes no joy in her protests and media scuffles, and would prefer not to have to fight them.
“Obviously, we would love to not be in this fight,” she said. “We would love to not have to file this lawsuit and not have to engage in this, but that’s just not what’s happening.”
The president has invited the entire U.S. women’s national team to the White House, but following Sunday’s win, he seemed to backpedal on the idea, according to The Washington Post. Rapinoe told reporters in France that she doubted if any of her teammates would accept such an invitation.
