US Soccer Fires Back At Critics, Denies USWNT Players Turned Their Backs During National Anthem

The United States Women’s National Team fired back at critics who claimed, Monday, that the women’s soccer team turned their backs on a World War II veteran who played the national anthem, noting that the team was facing the American flag and posting a video of each team member thanking the veteran personally after the game.

On Monday, the USWNT trended on Twitter after critics claimed the team turned their backs on the anthem performer, based on a video from ESPN that showed some team members facing forward, and some team members facing to their right. The referees and the Mexican national team, whom the USWNT was playing for the chance to go to the Tokyo Olympic games, were facing forward.

None of the players or referees on the field were facing the anthem performer.

98-year-old World War II veteran Pete DuPré played the national anthem on a harmonica before the @USWNT’s Olympic send-off match 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wnrOnZJhkC

— ESPN (@espn) July 5, 2021

“U.S. Soccer disputed allegations the women’s national team disrespected a World War II veteran and the American flag before their Olympic send-off match against Mexico on Monday,” Fox News reported. “A video circulated on Twitter showing some of the U.S. players facing away from the harmonica-playing Pete DuPré while other team members faced forward. Some players had their hands behind their backs while others had their hands placed on their hearts.”

“To be clear, no one turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight’s anthem. Some USWNT players were simply looking at the flag on a pole in one end of the stadium. The players all love Pete, thanked him individually after the game and signed a ball for him,” U.S. Soccer tweeted.

To be clear, no one turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight’s anthem. Some USWNT players were simply looking at the flag on a pole in one end of the stadium. The players all love Pete, thanked him individually after the game and signed a ball for him.

— U.S. Soccer Comms (@ussoccer_comms) July 6, 2021

U.S. Soccer also, then, tweeted out a video of the USWNT players personally thanking DuPre after the game.

“This is respect,” the group said. “Each and every player waited for their opportunity to come up to Pete post-game before getting on the bus, said hello, thanked him and signed his ball.”

This is respect. Each and every player waited for their opportunity to come up to Pete post-game before getting on the bus, said hello, thanked him and signed his ball. https://t.co/0fhtkTSxIF

— U.S. Soccer Comms (@ussoccer_comms) July 6, 2021

Last week, another Olympian, Gwen Berry, made headlines for turning her back in protest during the national anthem. The incident sparked nearly a week of headlines as Berry first explained, then defended her actions.

The U.S. women’s soccer team, as the Daily Wire reported previously, has a reputation for being focused on social justice and for staging national anthem protests. In June of 2019, team leader Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality, according to an essay she penned in The Players Tribune, joining in solidarity with players in other sports who “took a knee” in their own demonstrations. The team, however, told CNN earlier this year that they were “past” their “protesting phase.”

“I think those that were collectively kneeling felt like we were kneeling to bring about attention to police brutality and systemic racism,” defender Crystal Dunn said in February. “We decided that moving forward we no longer feel the need to kneel because we are doing the work behind the scenes. We are combating systemic racism. We never felt we were going to kneel forever, so there was always going to be a time that we felt it was time to stand.”

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