With or without Megan Rapinoe, the United States women's national team is moving on to its third straight World Cup final and a chance to repeat as FIFA world champions for the first time in team history.
Rapinoe, though, made headlines Tuesday for missing USWNT's semifinal against England. A prominent -- and sometimes controversial -- face of the Americans' run through this year's tournament, the veteran did not warm up with her teammates ahead of the team's 2-1 victory in France, later attributing her absence to a "minor hamstring strain" suffered in the team's quarterfinal win. The star attacker has since called herself "day-to-day" and anticipated a recovery for USWNT's final on Sunday, but some wondered before the Americans' latest win if Rapinoe's absence was strategic on her team's part.
"Kanell & Bell" co-host Raja Bell is not buying it.
"Dude," Bell said on Wednesday's episode, "Megan Rapinoe is a boss of all bosses. You do not sit her for a strategic matchup. She was injured. That's it. End-all, be-all. I don't care."
Danny Kanell proposed an alternative: Rapinoe's injury was not an injury, after all, but rather a cover for USWNT attempting to replace her against England in the wake of defensive lapses and/or so-so penalty kicks.
"I don't think she was hurt," Kanell said, with Bell shaking his head. "Here's the thing: I think the injury is the perfect excuse to make that strategic change that you want to make it."
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