Megyn Kelly was outraged that Megan Rapinoe appeared to be laughing and smiling after missing a crucial penalty kick in the US women’s team’s stunning ouster from the World Cup.
Rapinoe, the 38-year-old veteran and lightning rod over her activism, sailed her kick wide of the net, and the US was bounced from the quarterfinals by Sweden 5-4 in Sunday’s sudden-death shootout.
“She couldn’t execute,” the former news anchor told listeners of her SiriusXM podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Tuesday,
“She was too focused on her wokeism, it trickled down to her troops, and now they’re losers.”
Rapinoe has been vocal on hot-button issues such as kneeling during the playing of the national anthem as well as allowing transgender women to play alongside biological women in sporting events.
Kelly called Rapinoe “the Mark Milley of soccer” — a reference to the country’s top military officer who has been criticized by conservatives for placing too much emphasis on “wokeness” in the armed forces.
After her miss, she was seen grinning. In interviews after the match, she explained her reaction, saying: “That’s like a sick, sick joke. I’ve never hit it over, when I miss they are saved. That’s why I had that smile on my face.”
Kelly, however, wasn’t buying it, saying that Rapinoe was “more concerned about her Nike checks.”
“It was a miss, it was a loss, and it was the end of her career. And good. Goodbye,” Kelly said.
“I won’t miss her or her leadership.”
The US team had faced backlash after several starting players apparently refused to sing the national anthem during the group stage, an unpatriotic move that Kelly laid at the feet of Rapinoe.
Kelly noted that other athletes who have represented the country on the world stage — such as Lakers forward LeBron James and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” US men’s hockey team — would show more pride.
“They took it so deadly seriously,” Kelly said.
“They understood they had on the Stars and Stripes and that entire country was watching them for a reason.”
“She’s able to laugh, it’s all about her,” Kelly said of Rapinoe.
The Post has sought comment from Rapinoe and the US women’s soccer team.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
