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Add one more massive acquisition to the Seattle Reign's already impressive offseason: Megan Rapinoe. Yes, the United States star was already on the team last year. But after signing with Olympique Lyonnais, she was only available for about half the season.
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Now that she has somewhat surprisingly terminated her contract with the French power, she'll be available for the entire 2014 campaign. During her time in France, Rapinoe scored eight goals in 28 matches over two seasons across all competitions. She had so far scored three goals in eight league matches this season.
"I am grateful to Lyon for the opportunity they provided me and I will certainly miss all of my teammates and coaches in France," Reign FC forward Megan Rapinoe said in a team release. "I am excited to return to Seattle and play for an entire NWSL season. The league is the strongest in the world and Laura Harvey has assembled a world-class squad and created an environment in which I feel I can thrive."
Even in an offseason full of big acquisitions, Rapinoe's is particularly notable. Rapinoe managed to lead the Reign in goals (five) last year despite playing in just 12 matches. More importantly, the Reign went 5-5-2 with her, as opposed to 0-9-1 without her. The Reign also played those first 10 matches without goalkeeper Hope Solo, who was recovering from an injury.
"Megan is a brilliant player and a critical part of our squad," head coach Laura Harvey said. "We're very happy that she'll be in Seattle for the entire 2014 season and beyond."
