During the national anthem, North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns FC players knelt in Black Lives Matter jerseys at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.
“We took a knee today to protest racial injustice, police brutality, and systemic racism against black and black people in America,” the players from both teams said in an online statement.
“We love our country and have used this opportunity to keep it at a higher level. It is our duty to demand that the freedoms and freedoms on which this nation was founded be extended to everyone.”
Saturday’s game kicked off the league’s shortened 30-day tournament, the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, a departure from the regular full season, which typically runs from April to October, and in which all nine teams play 24 season games.
In a tweet, NWSL said, “In case you haven’t heard #BlackLivesMatter.”
After the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, protests against racism and police brutality have taken place across the country in recent weeks. As the sport resumes this summer, people are watching athletes respond to the national outcry as they enter the field.
Some athletes have kneeled during the national anthem in protest of police brutality since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the movement in 2016.
Some of the NWSL’s biggest stars like Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd will not be participating in the tournament. Lloyd has withdrawn from the tournament after a minor left knee injury, Sky Blue FC said in an online statement.
In a tweet of support, Rapinoe said: “They love to see it. They love to see these women with their voices who call for America and the black and colored better.”
The North Carolina Courage won the game 2-1.
The NWSL Challenge Cup will continue on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET with the Chicago Red Stars against Washington Spirit.
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