MINNEAPOLIS — Go down the Minnesota Aurora roster and look closely, and you'll notice it's not a copy and paste three times situation.
"I'm the oldest," Eli Rapp said. "Then her, then me," Rami chimed in. When asked if it matters much because they are triplets, Rami said she thought it does to the oldest, Eli.
Cat, Rami and Eli Rapp are 18-year-old triplets from Evergreen, Colorado. As players on MN Aurora FC, they have stolen the hearts of Minnesotans.
"People really like it. My parents can't come to all the games because they live in Colorado, so they watch them online and I guess the announcers love when we get it together and pass, because we're triplets," Rami said. "Because I mean it's rare, and it's pretty cool that we all play and are all good enough to be on the team."
Their passion for soccer started young, even with Eli's attempt to avoid blending in.
"We've really been playing our whole lives, and I didn't want to, because I wanted to be different," Eli said. "And my dad forced me because he knew I'd be jealous of Catherine and Rami playing out on the field and me sitting on the sidelines, so he made me play."
Good thing she stuck with it, because the sisters bring with them, not just good vibes and skills, but also exceptional communication — not quite mind-reading, but could be borderline.
"We don't like, obviously, not actually [mind read], but I think for soccer it's more like we know each other well enough that we know where we'll be," Rami said. "I think so, do you think so?" she turned and asked Eli, who nodded. "I think I know we have the best chemistry, I'd say, than anyone on the team," Rami continued. "Because I've played with them since we were like four."
However, after this season, the sisters will once again prove their resilience doesn't always lie in numbers, as Cat will head to Florida International University while Rami and Eli will attend Oklahoma.
"I'll just play with my college team," Cat said.
"Call everyday!" Rami butted in.
"I'll call them," Cat said. "I'll be like, 'how's it going in Oklahoma? How's the dynamic between you two? Make sure you guys don't get too close without me.'"
Until then, this triple threat, along with several other highly motivated ladies, have a championship game to win — which apparently had been in the playbook since the beginning.
"We're feeling good, we're really excited," Rami said. "We've been working for it all season. From day one that was our goal. We laid out season goals and from day one we said we wanted to win the USL championship and we're going to try to do it on Saturday."
The Aurora play Tormenta FC Saturday at TCO Stadium at 7 p.m.
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