PARIS — With a colorful vocabulary and manner to match her pinkish-purple hair, Megan Rapinoe stands out simply by being Megan Rapinoe.

She celebrated her two goals in the quarterfinal match against France at the Women’s World Cup by raising both arms in victory, reminiscent of Russell Crowe in “Gladiator.” Are you not entertained? She spawned many memes in the process.

“She’s just a big personality on and off the pitch,” coach Jill Ellis said. “And I think she honestly thrives in these moments.”

In securing the 2-1 victory that knocked the hosts out of the tournament, the United States now moves on to a semifinal match against England on Tuesday in Lyon. If they can get past the Lionesses, the Americans will get a shot at their second straight World Cup title and fourth overall in a July 7 final.

From a high-profile battle with U.S. Soccer over equal pay, to the exuberant celebration of every goal in the 13-0 Cup opener against Thailand, the U.S. team is unapologetically brash and confident.

If anyone embodies the U.S. ethos, it’s Rapinoe.

She has five goals in this World Cup, tying for the tournament lead. She’s the first player to score two goals in back-to-back games since Brazil’s Marta in 2007.

Sometimes she gets just as much attention for what she does away from the game.

Rapinoe was at the center of a controversy in the days leading up to what was called Le Grand Match when video from an interview in January surfaced of her saying she wouldn’t visit the White House if the team won the World Cup — and dropping in an expletive for emphasis.

Rapinoe has always been unafraid to speak her mind. She came out as gay in 2012 and is currently in a relationship with WNBA star Sue Bird. Rapinoe even joked about it following Friday night’s victory, when asked if it had more meaning because this is Pride Month.

“You can’t win a championship without gays on your team, it’s pretty much never been done,” she said. “Science right there.”

Rapinoe has been particularly vocal about equitable pay and the treatment of female athletes, while also critical of FIFA for not investing more in the women’s game.

Two years ago, Rapinoe was in the news for kneeling during the national anthem. She said it was an act of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who knelt during the anthem to call attention to racial inequality.

Oh, and she can play, too.

Rapinoe won an NCAA title with the University of Portland in 2005 and made her senior national team debut the next year. She played in all six U.S. games at the 2011 Cup in Germany, memorably picking up a microphone after a goal and singing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”

She also has an Olympic gold medal from the 2012 London Games.

While France has seemingly cemented her legacy, she insisted that any drama she encountered didn’t fuel her.

“I don’t get energized by haters,” she said. “I feel like there are so many more people that love me, so I’m ‘Yay! People love me! This is great!’ I’m more energized by that.”