U.S. men’s soccer wore rainbow Pride jerseys in pre-World Cup friendly

Rainbow jersey numbers have returned to the USMNT and USWNT jerseys for Pride, continuing a tradition that began back in 2017.

Both the men’s and women’s teams were playing international friendlies Saturday, with U.S. Soccer explaining pre-match that the custom designs are “an annual tradition during Pride Month, reflecting [the federation’s] continued support for the LGBTQ+ community.”

In Chicago, the USMNT lost to Germany, 2-1, in their final warm-up match at a sold-out Soldier Field before kicking off the World Cup on home soil. 

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The USWNT traveled to São Paulo to face Brazil, who won 2-1. 

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In the past, the women’s team has famously been a torchbearer for out LGTBQ representation in elite professional sport, with icons such as Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach and Ali Krieger shining at Women’s World Cup tournaments while also speaking out about the importance of inclusion and civil rights.

In recent years, there have been noticeably fewer players named in USWNT squads who are publicly out.

From the roster that won gold at the Paris Olympics two years ago, Tierna Davidson stood alone as being a member of Team LGBTQ.

The Gotham FC center-back, who married her wife Alison at the end of 2024, returned to action in March after a long injury layoff. She played the full 90 minutes for the USWNT against Brazil.

In a recent interview with Sam Mewis for The Women’s Game podcast, Davidson was asked what Pride Month means to her, particularly during such challenging times for many LGBTQ Americans and for marginalized communities more broadly in the U.S. right now.

“I think it’s really complicated because we’re representing our country at its best of times and at its worst of times,” replied Davidson.

“For a lot of us, it’s pretty close to the worst of times right now. I’ve said this before, but to be able to love something but also demand so much more of it — I think that’s how I try to see it.”

Davidson emphasized that turning one’s back on the country when things are going poorly is certainly not the way to go.

@womensgamemib

“We are representing our country at its best of times and at its worst of times.” USWNT defender Tierna Davidson on what it means to represent the US right now as a queer person ????️‍???? ♬ original sound – WomensGameMIB

She believes the USWNT offers a blueprint for a better future, calling the squad a “beautiful, diverse cross-section of the U.S.” that directly mirrors everyday American life, a counterpoint to the division whipped up by so much of the media and social media.

“We have children of immigrants, we have all women of color, we have moms, we have queer folks,” Davidson said to Mewis.

“The diverse group that we have is really a true authentic representation of the America that I think that we’d like to represent.”

She added: “It’s difficult to be prideful and ‘proud to represent the country’ when there’s a lot of things in our country that that we don’t agree with, or that we’re embarrassed about, or that is directly hurting either ourselves individually, folks in our community, our families.

“But ultimately, I think to be able to be a positive and welcoming beacon, that does get a lot of attention. I think that’s what we need in times like these.”

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