Megan Rapinoe unsure of her plans for anthem vs. Thailand
— -- U.S. women's national team midfielder Megan Rapinoe on Wednesday said she is unsure what she will do during the national anthem on Thursday night when she wears an American uniform for the first time since kneeling at a soccer game on Sept. 4.
"While it's different than the club, I actually think it's more meaningful to face the flag and try to have a conversation that ... I want to have," she said in an interview with Outside The Lines' Jeremy Schaap.
The U.S. plays Thailand in an international friendly on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Columbus, Ohio.
Asked what she has planned, Rapinoe said: "I'm still working through that a little bit. I've gone back and forth with a number of different things. I want to ultimately bring as many people to the conversation as possible, and if I'm doing something, whether I think it's right or wrong, if I'm doing something that immediately turns 20 percent of the ears completely off, that will not be open, am I really accomplishing what I want to accomplish?"
Addressing reporters at a news conference in Columbus on Wednesday, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said she understands and respects Rapinoe's stance "in terms of her willingness to talk about hard social issues."
"I support that," Ellis said. "Those conversations should be had."
Ellis, however, added that her preference would be to have U.S. players stand for the anthem.
"Me, personally, in this environment for a national team, I don't disassociate playing for your country," Ellis said. "I think that's a part of a national symbol. So in terms of standing for a national anthem, I think that's an expectation of a national team player."
Rapinoe joined the national conversation about not standing during the national anthem after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick received heavy criticism for sitting during the anthem before an NFL preseason game to protest racial oppression and inequality in the United States. Kaepernick knelt during the anthem the following week.
Rapinoe knelt during the anthem before an NWSL game on Sept. 4 against the Chicago Red Stars with her club team, the Seattle Reign.
On Sunday, on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, she stood and locked arms with her Seattle teammates.
Abby Wambach, who played with Rapinoe on the national team, said on ESPN on Wednesday: "I think Megan is in a position that, with the national team jersey ... it means something different. I think she actually might be one of the first people to protest in our jersey.
"She's been brave in facing all the criticisms she's gotten, all that criticism that Colin has gotten. She's not a person of color. And being somebody who knows what it's like to be gay, to see somebody else who's straight who's fighting for my rights. That's something that I think she's trying to do.
"I'm proud of her. It's brave of her," Wambach said. "It's something. I'm excited to see how this progresses. I'm excited to see where the conversation goes."
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