Hardship for M. Rapinoe and other Pilot Futures

According to the story in the Tribune Megan Rapinoe is indeed applying for a hardship year and hopes to return next year as a "junior." That is a change from her leaving after next year, as was anticipated. Let's hope she will be healthy.

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=119671988118712100

Good find WRV, certainly good news.

Agreed. Good job, wrv!

Wow, thanks for putting that up, wrv.

I hadn't gotten organized yet today and that was a nice piece to have my coffee to.

Great to see Megan is going for the two year deal. She's the Impact player that will surely give the Pilots the edge they struggled to get this year when she got hurt again. That will make having Sophie up top less critical, and it will be nice to see two Rapinoes on the field again.

Interesting that Steve Brandon mentioned two of the 2009 recruits but not Taylor, and didn't mention any of the 2008 recruits.

Doesn't he keep up with this forum?

Geezer that last line was hilarious!!!

wrv - Great work! Having Megan back as a RS junior, (golly I sure hope both Rapinoes are finally healthy next season), is a Dream Scenario!!! Megan moves to attacking midfielder, maybe Sophie starts at center back? Michelle and Rachael up top? The possibilities are endless. And the young depth coming off the bench should be both high in quantity as well as quality.

Wow!!! Great News. (Just hope Steve Brandon didn't screw that one up. The article is pretty decent, but I have a gut feeling he doesn't follow the Pilots, or soccer in general. Oh well - I'll definitely find some confirmation on the Megan part of the story just as soon as I am able.)

Being a lawyer, my take on this is that of course Megan would apply for junior red shirt status. That way, she can play next year and has the option for the year after if she wants to use it. It wouldn't mean anything about what she actually will do the year after, only lets her make the decision.

I tend to agree with UPSoccerFanatic... it doesnt hurt to apply for the year, and then have the option to play again after next year if she wants to....

I hope she plays 2 more.... but who knows.

It's not necessary for he to apply now, however. She could have applied at the end of next year for her additional year. The paperwork might be easier if she did it now (just copy Rachel's application ) .
Rules always can change, so it makes sense to do it now.

Good point. (That thought did cross my mind, but I quickly chased it away.) But at least she's leaving the option open. That's better than a flat out "Just one more year. No more."

You can bet I'll be working on her next year!!! (Okay, I'll be begging her...what's the diff.?)

Well, the theory is not a bad one, but it simply ignores the import of the quoted comments, both in the Tribune article and an article in today's Oregonian. It is a given that Megan may acquire the right, but does not have the obligation to stay for a sixth year. That being stated, both articles indicate she intends to pursue a sixth year, not that she coyly and perhaps legalistically is only retaining the option. The interpretation proffered by our esteemed legal counsel is contrary to the plain meaning and implication of the quotes. If Megan says she wants to stay another year, I think we should take her at her word and give her credit for understanding what she is saying. To paraphrase another lawyer: you are entitled to your opinion but not your facts. Whether it would be smart to pursue a sixth year is coincidental to the fact that Megan is pursuing a sixth year, not the reason for doing it, according to the quotes. Of course, we will know soon enough whether she will be here beyond next year. Next case please.

Well said wrv, lets just hope really hard that we get 2 more years of her and Michelle pounding the back of the net.

Hi I am new here, first time posting... So forgive me if I sound like a dork....
I just wanna say that at first I was really surprised that Megan would apply for a 6th year. I know she wants to play for the national team again, and I am sure she wants to be apart of the new women's league if it gets up and running late next year. But after I thought about it she is extremely smart to apply for a 6th year, since you never know what might happen with the new league, it could be delayed even longer or it could never get up and running at all and while I believe that a healthy Megan will have no trouble at all getting back on the national team, there are only so many spots to fill and with her two ACL injuries I think she knows real well how quickly an injury can halt your playing career. What ever eventually happens I look forward to seeing her play for several more years whether for the Pilots or professionally.

Welcome PilotsAreTheBest! Of course you didn't sound like a dork!

I think you are right on track... I would be surprised if she does stay for a sixth year because I too feel like if she's healthy she is a national team player, but it definitely does make sense to at least apply for it and have it available as an option. And you can never downplay someone's competitive drive either... if she does stay for a sixth year and is healthy, she would probably be a MAC Herman trophy candidate and would go down as one of the best players ever for UP and in college. She really is that good... maybe not Christine Sinclair on-another-planet-caliber, but truly one of the most talented players I've ever seen at UP.

Yes, welcome to the forum, PilotsAreTheBest. Always great to see new Pilot Nation "Recruits"!

Your thoughts are very well stated. Hope you continue posting because everyone who does seems to find their own little niche on this board. You will gain trust and credibility with the members as you establish your own unique identity. At least that's the way I feel.

Great to have you aboard, and keep on posting!