Megan Rapinoe s hamstring strain prevented her from starting the United States semifinal against England, but Jill Ellis said she may have called on her if the game had gone to a penalty shootout.
There was a notable omission from USA s starting XI when it was revealed prior to kickoff, Rapinoe only among the substitutes despite scoring braces in back-to-back games to fire the defending champions to the last four.
Curiously, there was no explanation for the outspoken Rapinoe s absence, though the fact she only watched on during the prematch warm-up suggested something was amiss.
Ellis team did not miss their star forward too much, though, Rapinoe s replacement Christen Press scoring the first goal and Alex Morgan the winner as England, who had leveled through El…