Former US women's goalkeeper says Megan Rapinoe would 'bully' teammates into kneeling during the anthem



In recent years, the United States women's soccer team has become more widely recognized for its pregame political posturing than for its dominance on the field — and now one former team member is going public with criticism for the way things have operated.

What are the details?

In a podcast interview Monday, former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo opened up about the palpable internal conflict on the team during her time as a member, specifically calling out forward Megan Rapinoe for pressuring others to comply with her progressive activism.

"I think the rhetoric surrounding this team has been both divisive and inclusive. I guess it's kind of where we are in politics in this day and age," Solo told Goal.com on "All of Us: The U.S. Women's Soccer Show."

"I think the kneeling thing can be very divisive," she continued. "I've seen Megan Rapinoe almost bully players into kneeling because she really wants to stand up for something in her particular way."

"I think that's really hard being on the main stage right now with so many political issues for athletes, there's a lot of pressure," she added.

What's the background?

Rapinoe and several of her teammates on the women's national team have adopted the practice of kneeling during the national anthem when it is played before games as a form of political protest. She and others have also been outspoken on a number of other issues, including equal pay for female athletes.

Until now, there haven't been any reports of forced kneeling or backlash against those who chose not to join in the protest, though it's true that a large majority of players have knelt when permitted. Solo appeared to indicate that at least some form of pressure to conform was present.

The team's brash activism has drawn scrutiny from many fans. During the Tokyo Olympics last month, fellow Americans admitted they rooted against the team during the tournament and actually cheered their semifinal loss to Canada.

Anything else?

Solo has not been a member of the team since 2016, but she and Rapinoe played together for 10 years prior to that, beginning in 2006. The pair won a World Cup and two Olympic gold medals together in that span.

The goalkeeper ended up withdrawing from the team and retiring after off-field incidents damaged her reputation. Solo was arrested in 2014 and charged with assaulting two of her family members. Then in 2016, she was suspended by the U.S. national team after calling the Swedish national team a "bunch of cowards" following a face-off in the Olympics.

Fellow Americans say they rooted against 'woke' US women's soccer team, were happy about loss to Canada that eliminated US from Olympic gold medal hunt



The road to an Olympic gold medal came to end for the once-dominant U.S. women's soccer team Tuesday after a 1-0 semifinal loss to Canada that Yahoo Sports described as "listless."

The team's best hope now is winning the bronze medal game Friday, the outlet said.

Backlash against Americans — by Americans

But what may be even bigger news is the outpouring of contempt for the "woke" squad and a number of its crusading players who arguably have become better known for staging kneeling protests against America prior to games.

In fact, the Yahoo Sports story is being inundated with comments from Americans who indicated they actually were rooting against the U.S. women's team and were happy about the loss:

  • "I can't believe I'm happy a Canadian team beat our U.S. team, but that's how these woke soccer players who injected politics into the Olympics made me feel," one commenter wrote.
  • "I'm an American, but was cheering for Canada," another commenter said.
  • "Maybe if they spent more time playing soccer and less time embarrassing America they would have done better," another commenter observed. "First time I ever rooted for a U.S. team to lose."
  • "I never thought I'd live long enough to root against a U.S. team in the Olympics," another commenter said. "Then again, these protesters in shorts weren't really representing the U.S."
  • "Outstanding!" another commenter declared. "They don't deserve to represent this country, and I'm glad they lost."
  • "Looks like they shoulda practiced soccer a bit more ... than politics," another commenter noted. "As an American, I am sad to be so glad. Hope they lose the bronze, too."
  • "Glad to see this," another commenter said. "If you can't respect and represent the country that sent you there, then you don't belong on that podium."
  • "Y'all wanted to be 'woke' cause that's the hip thing to do, disrespect the flag and those who sacrificed for it, and act ugly by protesting and throwing tantrums?" another commenter asked. "Karma's got ya. I'm glad you lost, and I hope you won't get bronze, either, cause you don't deserve it."

One commenter took aim at outspoken U.S. player Megan Rapinoe, who began making a name for herself after kneeling for the national anthem a la Colin Kaepernick several years ago: "I'm so happy to see Team Rapinoe go home without Gold or Silver. They deserved what they got, and now hopefully Rapinoe loses the pedestal the media has placed her on."

'Sucks'

Yahoo Sports added that "the Americans fell short of the final because they were poor, throughout the Games and here on a sleepy, sticky-hot evening at the Ibaraki Kashima Stadium. They had no rhythm. No composure. No verve."

"Sucks," Rapinoe said in response to a question about what was going through her head at final whistle, the outlet. "Really s**tty."

According to Yahoo Sports, she added: "We just — I don't know. It's not like we have a bad vibe. The group is feeling good and everything. But we just haven't been able to find that juice that we normally do. So, just, yeah, sucks."

The U.S. women's team suffered a shutout loss to Sweden in its opening-round contest at the Tokyo Olympics — and after it staged a kneeling protest. It was the U.S. women's first defeat since January 2019, and ESPN said the American players looked "confused" and "rattled" against Sweden.

ESPN added in regard to the U.S. women's team that "to say the reigning Women's World Cup champions arrived in Japan as a favorite is perhaps an understatement. The U.S. has reached the gold medal match in five of the six Olympics Games since women's soccer became an event ..."

'Nauseating smugness'

"The nauseating smugness finally smacked the team in the choppers," another commenter on the Yahoo Sports story wrote while another observer added, "This soccer team needs to read these comments. They should be ashamed how their fellow Americans feel about them."

Crusading US women's soccer players take a knee in another woke protest before opening Olympic contest — and lose for first time since January 2019



The United States women's soccer team took a knee before its opening-round contest Wednesday against Sweden in the Tokyo Olympics, Yahoo Sports reported. Yet another woke protest from the dominant squad that's become as widely known for its politics as for its skill on the field.

Oops

But Team USA went on to lose 3-0 to Sweden — its first defeat since January 2019. ESPN said the American players looked "confused" and "rattled."

US Women’s soccer falls flat vs. Sweden, Team USA Softball tops Italy | What You Missed https://t.co/obuQpm0mQm

— Futball News (@FutballNews_) 1626877564.0

More from the sports network:

To say the reigning Women's World Cup champions arrived in Japan as a favorite is perhaps an understatement. The U.S. has reached the gold-medal match in five of the six Olympics Games since women's soccer became an event, and unlike some of the teams in Tokyo, the USWNT has played warm-up games for the months leading up to this amid the pandemic.

But the defeat was also notable because of just how bad the loss was. Confused expressions abound as players, including [midfielder Rose] Lavelle, looked for an open American to pass the ball to but couldn't find anyone. As Sweden swarmed, pressing and bossing the midfield, the Americans looked rattled and gave the ball away too cheaply.

"It felt like there were holes everywhere defensively," striker Alex Morgan said, according to ESPN. "I didn't feel like we were pressing together, and then when we were on the attack and we'd lose the ball, we didn't have the numbers around the ball to win it back."

US women upset by Sweden 3-0 in first soccer match of 2021 Olympics https://t.co/bLuB8FR4lm https://t.co/jxg5miYoVj

— Scripps National News (@ScrippsNational) 1626872401.0

What are the details about the pre-game kneeling?

It wasn't as if Team USA was alone in its kneeling protest. The Swedish players all took a knee, too — as did a referee, Yahoo Sports said.

"They stayed there for about 10 seconds with pregame music still playing in the background," the outlet noted. "They then rose, and a short in-stadium countdown to kickoff commenced."

Yahoo Sports said the "demonstrations were pre-planned, as they have been before various international soccer matches for over a year now as collective statements against racism and other forms of discrimination."

It was far from the first time Team USA took a knee. And the squad's most prominent player — the uber-woke Megan Rapinoe — began making a name for herself after kneeling for the national anthem a la Colin Kaepernick.

But Team USA stood for national anthem

Yahoo Sports added that all 18 USWNT players stood for the anthem Wednesday, adding that it's "unclear if a protest during the anthem would be acceptable under the new IOC rules. (National anthems aren't played before many Olympic events — only afterward, during medal ceremonies.)"

While protests during competitions and medal ceremonies are still prohibited, the outlet said related rules have been relaxed in the run up to the Tokyo Games.

More from Yahoo Sports:

The infamous Rule 50 had long prohibited athletes from ... engaging in most forms of protest at Olympic events. In January 2020, the IOC specifically barred kneeling and fist-raising, among other acts, at all Olympic venues, at any point before, during or after a competition.

But pressure from athletes who felt the rules infringed upon their freedom of expression — and especially from black athletes, some of whom felt targeted by the guidelines — increased beginning last June. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's Athletes Advisory Council called for an abolishment of Rule 50 last summer. The USOPC, after forming a racial and social justice council, followed in calling on the IOC to "end the prohibition of peaceful demonstrations" at the Games.

In response, the IOC staged a lengthy review of the rule. It initially announced that it would, effectively, maintain the restrictions. But athletes, such as U.S. hammer thrower Gwen Berry, said the rules wouldn't stop them from protesting racial injustice. The IOC essentially sought a compromise, and announced in early July that demonstrations before competitions would be allowed.

Anything else?

Other protesting teams included Great Britain and Chile, as players from both teams took a knee before their Wednesday game, the outlet reported. In addition, New Zealand players also took a knee while Australian players "stood with their arms around one another at the center circle, after earlier posing with the Australian Aboriginal Flag," Yahoo Sports added.

It's claimed some US women soccer players turned backs on 98-year-old WWII vet playing national anthem. But team says they were facing US flag.



Some dust got kicked up when video appeared to show some members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team with their backs turned on 98-year-old World War II veteran Pete DuPre while he played the national anthem on harmonica before the team's Olympic send-off game against Mexico on Monday.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

But images apparently can be deceiving.

What are the details?

Responding to a tweet from the Post Millennial accusing some players of turning their backs while DuPre played the anthem, U.S. Soccer Comms shot back with a tweet of its own:

@TPostMillennial Not true. No one turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight's anthem. Some USWNT… https://t.co/vF4W0KZkZZ

— U.S. Soccer Comms (@ussoccer_comms) 1625538783.0

"Not true," U.S. Soccer Comms wrote. "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. team member Carli Lloyd also tweeted that "we turned because we faced the flag."

Another clip shows most of the players turning toward DuPre and applauding him after he played the anthem:

Thank you, Pete! 🇺🇸❤️ https://t.co/BL7kgHbLfg

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) 1625519288.0

It also appeared that most of the players who were facing away from DuPre during the anthem had their hands over their hearts, which doesn't support an anthem protest claim:

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

Richard Grenell chimes in

Richard Grenell — former acting director of National Intelligence under former President Donald Trump — got some attention with his Monday tweet saying "several" U.S. players "turned away from the US flag" while DuPre played the anthem.

Pollster Frank Luntz countered to Grenell that the "U.S. women not facing forward had turned to face the American flag down by the scoreboard. (A few of them placed their hand over their heart while facing toward the flag instead of the anthem performer.)" Luntz also included an image showing the flag by the scoreboard.

In response to U.S. Soccer Comms, Grenell added another tweet saying "not one of those who snubbed the flag & anthem tuned toward Pete. Pete was to their left. ... They aren't turned to him. (Every Mexican player turned for their anthem)."

There appears to be overall confusion regarding the flag's location and the intent of various U.S. players. While video of DuPre playing the anthem doesn't show it, there appears to be a flag at the end of the stadium based on the photo Luntz posted, and some U.S. players were turned in that direction; in addition many people in the crowd also were turned in that same direction during the anthem. But that doesn't explain why a handful of U.S. players faced forward rather than turning toward the flag.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

In the same vein, the Post Millennial's original headline, according to the Internet Archive, reads "DISGRACEFUL: US women's soccer team members turn their backs to 98-year-old WWII vet playing the national anthem" preceded by an "American News" category. But the outlet's updated headline reads "DISGRACEFUL: US women's soccer team members turned away from flag as 98-year-old WWII vet played the national anthem" and is preceded by a "News Analysis" category.

Anything else?

Author and comedian Tim Young noted to Grenell that numerous U.S. women soccer players took a knee in protest during the anthem last year:

Hey @RichardGrenell, here's the same characters from today taking knees last year. https://t.co/Bkwd82gcUf

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) 1625541459.0

In addition, star player Megan Rapinoe made a name for herself in 2016 after kneeling for the national anthem a la Colin Kaepernick and since then has virtue-signaled around the globe for progressive causes such as lack of diversity and the evils of Trump among many others.