USA planning show of support at the Liberty
RB Leipzig star Tyler Adams says the United States are planning a show of support for racial justice when they return to action in Wales for the first time since the death of George Floyd.
Minneapolis resident Floyd, a black man, died in May when a police officer pressed his knee against his neck for several minutes, with his killing sparking antiracism protests across the USA and the world.
Several American players, including Adams, appeared in Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie’s ‘Enough is Enough’ video in June – and the USA team will now make an anti-racism stand ahead of their Swansea friendly tomorrow.
“There have been internal discussions about that,” said Adams, who had ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on his left boot and ‘Justice 4 George’ on his right when he returned to Bundesliga action after Floyd’s death.
“We’re kind of waiting until matchday to show how we can bring recognition to the situation.
“Without giving too much away, we just want to continue to educate people about what’s going on and continuing to happen.
“There will be a little something on game day that we do. The internal discussions have been great, within the team supporting one another, sharing each other’s beliefs, and how people perceive certain situations and their opinions on it.
“Those open and difficult discussions have been really helpful to the team.”
The Americans could take a knee at the Liberty Stadium as, following Floyd’s death, the US Soccer Federation repealed the policy that required players to stand during the national anthem.
The USA have not played since a 1-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica at the start of February.
Coach Gregg Berhalter has mostly called on his Europe-based players for the friendlies against Wales and Panama, with the squad’s average age a tender 21 years and 300 days.
But nine players are at clubs playing in the Champions League, including rising Borussia Dortmund star Giovanni Reyna, who is set to make his international debut at the Liberty Stadium.