The United States men’s soccer team announced its intention to lead a protest to highlight racial injustice before the start of a friendly match against Wales on Thursday.
Midfielder Tyler Adams, who plays in the German Bundesliga for Red Bull Leipzig, said the U.S. men’s national team planned a demonstration that will “bring recognition” to the death of Minneapolis’s George Floyd and other black men who have died while in the custody of police.
“We just want to continue to educate people about what’s going on and continuing to happen,” Adams said. “There will be a little something on game day that we do. The internal discussions have been great within the team, supporting one another, sharing each other’s beliefs, and how people perceive certain situations and their opinions on it. Those open and difficult discussions have been really helpful to the team.”
Adams has been among the most vocal members of the team calling for an end to police brutality and racial injustice in the wake of Floyd’s death. Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who leads the U.S. team’s attack, has also shown his support for Floyd by wearing an armband that read “Justice for George Floyd” following his death.
The match against Wales marks the first game played by the U.S. since the outbreak began and comes after months of protests from other sporting leagues, including the National Basketball Association, which briefly halted its playoff competition to address issues of racial injustice.
