Few figures have witnessed the evolution of American women’s soccer as closely as Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger. So when the former USWNT teammates recently sat down and discussed their experiences together at the FIFA World Cup, they shared what continues to define the women’s game. As you can expect, their perspective came from years spent at the heart of it.
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Megan Rapinoe invited one of her close friends and former teammates to her podcast, A Touch More: The Beautiful Game, and asked what difference Krieger noted between men’s and women’s soccer.
“The connection that the players have with the fans. That’s something I don’t see in men’s soccer at all,” Krieger answered.
“The fans have a good understanding of the personalities of players and who they can relate to. They can find someone to latch onto and support because there’s more connection. Female soccer players make the time and effort to connect with fans.”
Women’s soccer is rapidly exploding as the NWSL delivered a fourth successive year of viewership growth. The fan connection that helped the sport grow is still going strong. Hundreds of thousands of young girls started adoring icons like Rapione and Krieger, and the viewership among women aged 18-34 surged by 34% for the 2024/25 season, according to NWSL.
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Although the men’s stars do fan meetups, they are always PR trained and are within the strict confines of corporate contracts, meaning fans barely get to see their unfiltered side. The originality and inclusivity of the women’s game are what made it appealing, according to Kreiger.
“It might change now because the World Cup has changed the scene drastically. The connection players can have can really change people’s lives because of it through a small interaction or a conversation at games, events or training sessions. There’s just more accessibility and connection to women’s players than to me, and that’s what’s so attractive to our game,” she concluded.
During a game between Arsenal and Manchester City in 2023, Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger turned around to ask fans about the remaining time, as the clock they had at Meadow Park wasn’t working. In the past, it was experiences like these that created a special bond between players and fans.
Rapinoe and Kreiger believe the foundation will hold strong, even though the game grows as the players continue to be both role models and approachable figures for fans.
