Korbin Albert’s Pride-themed jersey has earned the highest bid in an online auction of shirts worn by 49 U.S. women’s and men’s national team players in June.
U.S. Soccer auctioned off the jerseys worn by the USMNT and USWNT during Pride Month, with all proceeds benefitting You Can Play, a charity that, per a federation release, “helps promote a safe and inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ community.”
All of the rainbow-numbered jerseys were signed by players and then put up for auction throughout June, with the bidding ending on Sunday, the last day of the month.
Albert’s kit earned a bid of $4,052 from a user known as Daniel G. That offer easily topped the second-highest winning bid of $3,014, which came in for Alex Morgan’s jersey.
That Albert’s jersey topped all bids is, of course, ironic, given the controversy that has surrounded the midfielder since fans discovered anti-LGBTQ+ activity on her TikTok account back in March.
Albert apologized after the posts were publicized, and has since been rebuked by USWNT players past and present for her social media activity.
The 20-year-old has continued to be a key member of the USWNT’s midfield, appearing in all 10 of the team’s games this year.
Albert was named to the USWNT Olympic roster last week, with head coach Emma Hayes insisting afterwards that the midfielder is working hard behind the scenes and fully understands the damage that her posts could cause.
“I can say firsthand that having spent limited time with Korbin, she really is a lovely person and someone who really values the most important things, and that she’s spending time working on herself as we all do,” Hayes said.
“I look forward to building on that with her, and I want everybody to know that my job is to make sure I keep doing that. I want the fans to really embrace Korbin because I think she’s a tremendous human being.”
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