LONDON — United States women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski said he was proud of his players for “even being on the pitch” after they lost 2-1 arrived in England at Wembley Stadium on Friday, just days after the release of a report detailing systematic abuse in women’s football in the US
An independent investigative report from Sally Yates released Monday details systematic abuse within the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and US Soccer league and governing body officials failed to adequately protect the players.
With that positivity, Andonovski full of praise for his competitive spirit.
“Obviously, it’s been an incredibly difficult week for everyone and I’m proud of the players for being on the pitch and playing the game,” he said. “It’s not easy.
“For some of them who have been in the environment to see and experience all that they have been through, I applaud their bravery and I applaud their fearless and relentless spirit. Once again, they showed that nothing can stop them from playing the game they love. I’m so proud of them and hope we never have to go through that again.”
The United States were beaten by first-half goals by Lauren Hemp and England’s Georgia Stanway in front of a ticketing crowd of nearly 77,000 at Wembley. Sophia Smith scored for the US, the second goal was also controversially denied when the video assistant referee ruled that there had been offside in the match-fixing situation.
But the game is much more than the events on the field.
Players from England and the USWNT came together before the game started to unveil a banner showing their support for victims of sexual abuse.
Players hold banners that read “Protect the Player” in the center circle, while the Wembley arch above the stadium is lit in green for 15 minutes before kick-off. Both teams also wore blue captain’s armbands to show solidarity.
“It was a special moment when the players gathered together and had banners in front of them,” added Andonovski.
“I got goose bumps when I saw the support from the fans who clapped at the time. It was a statement that we have to stop sexual violence and once again the players did a job. It’s amazing to use this game and event as a platform against it.”
England manager Sarina Wiegman added: “It’s very important. We all want to play a supporting role. It’s horrible when these situations happen. For the victims, it’s real. horrible, and now they have to come back to life.It should stop.
“Now people are speaking out and it’s very powerful, and we need to make sure it changes and it doesn’t happen again.
“We’ve been celebrating so many things today but when this happens, you just can’t be ignored. We now use this dynamic to spread the word that it’s unacceptable and appalling. what’s going on.”
USWNT veteran Megan Rapinoe speaks before the game and said she was “emotionally exhausted” after handling the report and calling for accountability to those it found to have been complicit in the cover-up of abuse.
Rapinoe said the report was “devastating in every way” but praised the USWNT team for “how we were able to take that and keep doing our job” ahead of Friday’s game.
