The United States women’s national soccer team suffered a surprising draw against the Netherlands in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup last week.
Bringing in substitute midfielder Rose Lavelle proved to be a masterstroke by USWNT manager Vlatko Adonovski. She provided the game-tying assist on Lindsay Horan’s 62nd-minute goal that equalized the score at one.
But that was the only substitution Adonovski made. And veteran midfielder Megan Rapinoe, who started on the bench and didn’t play in the game, felt she could have made a difference, too.
“I think I could’ve helped,” Rapinoe told reporters ahead of the team’s third and final group-stage game against Portugal, according to The New York Post.
“All of us on the bench, we think we should be on the field as much as players on the field think they should be on the field,” Rapinoe said. “Every player on the field that starts the game thinks they should play 90 minutes, and every player who doesn’t, who’s a sub, thinks that they should be on at some point.”
“We’re always ready,” she said. “We know at some point during this tournament, obviously, the bench will be huge. That’s a huge asset of ours, a huge reason why we’ve been so successful with this group [and] obviously historically, winning championships in our past.”
The 38-year-old midfielder, however, went on to say that she respected Andonovski’s decision during the game.
