A photo of a triumphant Rapinoe with her arms outstretched, a pose she struck after scoring both goals, quickly set Twitter ablaze.
"This is one of my favorite sports pictures of the decade," sports pundit Bill Simmons tweeted, adding that Rapinoe was an "inspiration to [his] daughter."
It's arguably the most viral moment of the US star forward's historic World Cup run. And of course, the internet immediately adopted the photo as a meme and symbol of patriotism for an American athlete and activist in her prime.
Her epic performance led some to suggest that the United States "tear down the Confederate monuments and put up Megan Rapinoe monuments." Others pledged their allegiance to Rapinoe as their new President.
It's fitting, too, that Rapinoe, an activist who came out as gay during the 2011 Women's World Cup, is giving the best performance of her career during Pride month.
Even if the US Women's National Team doesn't win the World Cup, many fans believe Rapinoe has cemented her status as an American hero.









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