Players take a knee
2 NWSL teams assume that position during the national anthem
All starters on the North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns rosters kneeled during the national anthem ahead of the first match of the NWSL Challenge Cup on Saturday, reflecting a leaguewide push to fight racism.
Every player on the Thorns bench chose to kneel as well during the anthem, while keeper Katelyn Rowland was the only Courage player who chose to stand.
Both teams wore matching Black Lives Matter shirts over their jerseys during warmups and the anthem, with the Thorns also wearing black armbands during the match.
The Courage and Thorns players released a joint statement that was read during the CBS broadcast explaining their decision to kneel during the anthem.
“We took a knee today to protest racial injustice, police brutality and systemic racism against Black people and people of color in America,” the statement read. “We love our country and we have taken this opportunity to hold it to a higher standard. It is our duty to demand that the liberties and freedoms this nation was founded upon are extended to everyone.”
NWSL was the first American team sport to play during the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down pro leagues since March and delivered an entertaining debut match. The Courage, who have won back-to-back NWSL championships, earned a 2-1 victory over the Thorns thanks to goals from Debinha and Lynn Williams.
American sports leagues have pledged to make social justice reform part of the conversation as they start play during the pandemic.
In addition to during the anthem, players, coaches and officials took a knee again during a moment of silence seconds before kickoff.
NWSL has grappled with controversy when players attempted to kneel during the national anthem in the past. When OL Reign and U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, Washington Spirit owner Bill Lynch chose to break up the protest by playing the national anthem while players were in the locker room.
Rapinoe was reprimanded by U.S. Soccer for kneeling during a national team match. She was held off the national team’s roster until the federation approved a new rule banning all U.S. players from kneeling during the anthem. Unions representing the men’s and women’s teams later said the rule never applied to them because it had not been ratified by their bargaining units, but it added to the tension between women’s national team players and the federation.
The anthem rule was repealed following widespread protests against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd earlier this year. Many NWSL players joined local protests, opposing police brutality and fighting for social justice. Ahead of the Challenge Cup, the NWSL released a statement offering its support of any player who chose to kneel during the anthem.
Although Rapinoe opted out of the Challenge Cup, she shared her support for the protest on social media.
Once play began, North Carolina peppered Portland with shots throughout the first half, but the teams remained locked in a scoreless standstill until the 75th minute. The Courage scored the first goal of the tournament when Hailie Mace fed a ball to Debinha, who buried it to take the 1-0 lead.
The Thorns responded five minutes later when midfielder Lindsey Horan lofted a header on frame. The ball ricocheted off the crossbar, but Simone Charley slotted home the rebound to level the score.
The tournament opener appeared to be racing toward a draw when striker Williams broke through to score in the fourth minute of stoppage time. North Carolina held on until the final whistle.
Playing in an empty stadium, the atmosphere of the match was different from past sold-out showdowns between the two powerhouses.
“You don’t really realize that there’s no fans after a while because you just have to,” Thorns defender Becky Sauerbrunn said. “You have to make your own atmosphere, create your energy. That’s what we were trying to do. Obviously it’ll be great when fans are allowed to come, but definitely you have to create your own energy.”
Despite the lack of fans in the stands, both teams were driven by the energy of leading the return of team sports in the U.S.
After months away from the game, Williams said both teams were fueled by their eagerness to play.
“I think that a lot of us like the first 20 minutes we’re just really excited to get out there and I think we’re getting the rust off a bit but more just excited,” Williams said. “Then the altitude kicks in and you’re like, ‘All right, let’s settle down. Let’s play our game.’
“But I think in the first 20 minutes you could see that we were so excited. I’m happy to get back out there.”