Tag: Korbin Albert

USWNT players union issues statement rebuking Albert

USWNT Players issued a statement toward Albert — even if it did not name the midfielder

The union representing the U.S. women’s national team has issued a statement hitting out at the social media activity of Korbin Albert.

Albert, 20, has been embroiled in controversy after fans discovered last month that she had posted and reshared anti-LGBTQ+ content on her TikTok account.

The PSG midfielder quickly apologized, saying that the posts were “offensive, insensitive and hurtful” and that she had been “immature and disrespectful” by sharing them.

Several USWNT players past and present have rebuked Albert for her actions, including team leaders Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan.

Now, the USWNT Players Association has joined in with a statement aimed toward Albert — even if it did not name the midfielder.

USWNT Players have long believed one of our primary responsibilities is advocacy.

Advocacy for ourselves, our teammates, our sibling teams, our fans and society at large. Our ability to be advocates is one of the great privileges representing this national team affords us.

The women’s soccer community is one of joy, excitement, kindness and love. We have worked to ensure our community is safe, inclusive, and welcoming to everyone. As allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, those efforts will not stop.

Across the country, human rights are being stripped away.

LGBTQIA+ right are human rights. Trans rights are human rights.

Today and every day, the USWNT Players will stand up for those rights.

After the outcry over Albert’s social media activity, the USWNT kept her on the roster for the SheBelieves Cup. Interim head coach Twila Kilgore refused to answer a question over whether there was any consideration of removing Albert from the team for the two-game tournament this month.

“There’s been several internal conversations about this that will remain internal,” Kilgore said.

Albert came off the bench in the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Japan, with several fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium booing the midfielder upon her arrival on the field.

The USWNT will face Canada on Tuesday night in Columbus in the SheBelieves Cup final.

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USWNT boss Kilgore won’t discuss if Albert roster removal was an option

The USWNT midfielder has been in a firestorm over anti-LGBTQ+ social media activity

U.S. women’s national team interim head coach Twila Kilgore reiterated the team’s disappointment over Korbin Albert’s social media activity, but would not answer whether her removal from the SheBelieves Cup roster was ever an option.

Albert has found herself in a firestorm over her anti-LGBTQ+ activity on social media, with several USWNT players past and present calling the 20-year-old out for her actions.

The PSG midfielder apologized after fans uncovered a series of offensive posts, which transpired just days after the USWNT had named her to its roster for the SheBelieves Cup.

Kilgore spoke to the press on Friday, a day ahead of the tournament opener against Japan. She began her remarks with a prepared statement that echoed the words of Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan two days prior.

“I just wanted to quickly address Korbin’s social media interactions,” Kilgore began. “It is disappointing when somebody falls short of the very high standards that we set within this team. This team has always been a beacon of respect, inclusion, and demonstrated great allyship through actions for underrepresented and marginalized groups including the LGBTQ+ community. And we will continue to do so.

“As Lindsey and Alex mentioned, this team has never shied away from hard conversations. And today we’re here continuing to work on getting better, continuing to work on preparing ourselves to make ourselves proud, make our fans proud and put ourselves in the best position to continue to look towards success as we start this tournament.”

Kilgore would later be asked if removing Albert from the SheBelieves Cup was ever an option, or if her playing time could be affected due to the controversy.

“There’s been several internal conversations about this that will remain internal,” she responded to the first question.

“In terms of talking about lineup and playing time and things like that, I think as you’ve probably gathered watching from my interim time here, I don’t typically talk at all about who will be playing and who won’t be playing. And Korbin is available for this tournament.”

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Royals goalkeeper Nelson slams U.S. Soccer for keeping Albert on USWNT roster

The Utah goalkeeper had some harsh words for the federation over Albert’s inclusion

Utah Royals goalkeeper Carly Nelson has hit out at U.S. Soccer for keeping Korbin Albert on the U.S. women’s national team roster after her anti-LGBTQ+ activity on social media was discovered.

Albert has found herself in a firestorm over the past week, with several USWNT players past and present calling the PSG midfielder out for her actions.

Albert had already been named to the SheBelieves Cup roster prior to her social media activity being discovered, and she remained on the squad after a controversy that forced her into a swift apology.

USWNT pair Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan addressed the situation with a statement to media on Wednesday, saying that they were “extremely sad” to see Albert not uphold the USWNT’s standards of inclusivity. They added that internal discussions among the team had taken place, which would stay private.

In a thread on X, Nelson said that U.S. Soccer allowing Albert to stay on the roster is sending a troubling message to the LGBTQ+ community.

As a queer player playing a sport – how are we not talking more about Korbin Albert being called into camp after demonstrating homophobic and transphobic actions? Her actions are creating an unsafe space for LGBTQIA+ players. A thread:

Korbin epitomizes what the LGBTQIA+ community continuously has to fight against. The US Soccer Federation continuing to give her a platform, diminishes the safety and comfort of queer players.

Her and her family have demonstrated a clear disregard for respect and well-being of queer individuals across the globe.

Korbin’s actions are not just a controversy or a one-time mistake; they are hateful and they reflect and perpetuate the systemic oppression of queer people in our society.

It’s sending a message that the Federation does not prioritize the creation of safe spaces for trans and gender-diverse players. This lack of prioritization to protect trans and gender diverse players – undermines efforts to promote inclusivity and respect.

By openly making fun of pronouns, liking and posting transphobic and homophobic things – sheds a direct light on the harmful and hateful ideas keeping trans and queer people unsafe in this sport.

Nelson spoke to Out Sports in 2019 about her experiences being raised Mormon while also being a lesbian. The 26-year-old said she finally felt accepted after coming out to her teammates at the University of Utah.

The goalkeeper has spent time with OL Reign, Kansas City Current, FC Nordsjælland, and Orlando Pride before joining the Royals in December prior to their inaugural season.

Nelson started the Royals’ first match of the season, before backing up Mandy Haught in the team’s next two games.

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Morgan and Horan make statement on ‘extremely sad’ Albert controversy

The two USWNT leaders addressed the midfielder’s anti-LGBTQ+ social media activity

U.S. women’s national team pair Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan made a brief statement to media on Wednesday addressing the ongoing controversy surrounding midfielder Korbin Albert.

Albert was forced to apologize last week after fans discovered that her TikTok account had either shared or reposted a host of anti-LGBTQ+ content. The 20-year-old also appeared to like an Instagram post celebrating Megan Rapinoe’s injury in last year’s NWSL championship game.

The midfielder was named to the SheBelieves Cup squad, with the USWNT set to play Japan on Saturday before facing either Brazil or Canada on Tuesday.

Albert’s presence has created a number of questions around how the USWNT would deal with the situation. In a brief statement, two of the team’s leaders said they were both saddened by her actions and that internal conversations among the team had taken place.

“Al and I just want to address the disappointing situation regarding Korbin that has unfolded over this past week,” Horan began.

“We’ve worked extremely hard to uphold the integrity of this national team through all of the generations and we are extremely, extremely sad that this standard was not upheld. Our fans and our supporters feel like this is a team that they can rally behind. And it’s so important that they feel and continue to feel undeniably heard and seen.”

Morgan continued: “We stand by maintaining a safe and respectful space, especially as allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community. And this platform has given us an opportunity to highlight causes that matter to us.

“It’s something that we never take for granted and we’ll keep using this platform to give attention to causes that are important to us. It’s also important to note we’ve had internal discussions around the situation, and that will stay within the team. But one thing also to know is that we have never shied away from hard conversations within this team.”

Neither Morgan nor Horan took questions about the situation. Mallory Swanson would later decline to answer a question, saying that the team would allow the statement from Morgan and Horan stand on its own.

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‘Some things are bigger than soccer’ – Mewis and Williams address Albert controversy

Williams admitted that there could be some issues in the USWNT locker room

Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams have addressed the controversy surrounding U.S. women’s national team midfielder Korbin Albert, with the pair both voicing their support for the LGBTQ+ community that Albert maligned on social media.

Albert was forced to apologize last week after fans discovered that Albert’s TikTok account had either shared or reposted a host of anti-LGBTQ+ content. The 20-year-old also appeared to like an Instagram post celebrating Megan Rapinoe’s injury in last year’s NWSL championship game.

Rapinoe quickly went on the offensive against Albert in an Instagram story, with the former USWNT star’s words of condemnation reposted by both Mewis and Williams.

The pair offered more perspective on the controversy in the latest episode of the Good Vibes FC podcast

“You and I are both supportive of the LGBTQ community. We want our teammates, we want everybody who identifies in any way to be able to express themselves freely and live a happy, safe existence,” said Mewis, who retired earlier this year.

Williams is still an active member of the USWNT, and was on the roster with Albert for the W Gold Cup in February and March. The Gotham FC forward missed the SheBelieves Cup squad this month due to injury, while Albert is a part of the group that will play a pair of upcoming matches.

Both Williams and Mewis played alongside Jaelene Daniels for club and country, and compared the current situation with Albert to that of the former North Carolina Courage and USWNT defender.

Daniels declined a USWNT call-up in 2017 over her refusal to wear Pride-themed rainbow numbers, citing her Christian faith. The defender would then refuse to play for the NC Courage on the team’s Pride Night in 2022.

“Back then we didn’t know how to approach the situation and we put soccer first,” Williams said. “I feel like if I’ve learned anything, it’s that there are some things that are just bigger than soccer. And one of them is human rights, and making sure that people feel safe in their body and just safe in this world. So I think it is a moment for us to say you know what, this topic is bigger than soccer.

“At the same time, women’s soccer has been a safe space for the LGBT community. And I think that it does affect the locker room a little bit. But again, I think this is bigger than the locker room.”

Mewis added that Albert’s apology was a good start, but said that the PSG midfielder still has plenty of work to do.

“Zooming out, making an apology is a solid first step,” Mewis said. “And I think you and I in many cases want to leave room for there to be growth and a change in behavior. But first and foremost, I don’t accept intolerance or the exclusion of people on a human level.”

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Morgan’s company takes indirect shot at Albert with Instagram post

The USWNT legend hasn’t commented directly on the controversy, but her company said plenty

Korbin Albert clearly has some work to do when it comes to winning over her teammates on the U.S. women’s national team.

The 20-year-old midfielder was forced to apologize on Thursday after fans discovered that her TikTok account had either shared or reposted a host of anti-LGBTQ+ content.

In a separate but perhaps equally damaging discovery, Albert was also found to have liked a post that celebrated Megan Rapinoe’s injury in her final career game.

Rapinoe slammed Albert in a post on Instagram, which was quickly reshared by a number of current and former USWNT players including Alana Cook, Sam Mewis, Kristie Mewis and Lynn Williams.

Alex Morgan hasn’t yet commented directly on the controversy, but appears to have done so in an indirect way through an Instagram post from Togethxr — the company she co-founded with other sports stars Sue Bird, Chloe Kim, and Simone Manuel.

Rather than attack Albert directly, the post highlighted “a few times USWNT players have made spaces safer, more inclusive, more whole, entirely better, and brought out the best in people.”

Some of the photos spotlighted the team’s fight for equal pay, its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as its support for transgender rights.

It concluded: “That is the legacy of this team, past, present, and future.”

The USWNT will gather next week for the SheBelieves Cup. Both Morgan and Albert were named to the 23-player roster.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5GcXWcuh–/?hl=en&img_index=1

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Rapinoe offers biting response amid Albert social media controversy

The USWNT legend hit out at the 20-year-old midfielder for her anti-LGBTQ+ activity on TikTok

U.S. women’s national team legend Megan Rapinoe has spoken out amid the discovery of controversial social media activity from one of the team’s newest stars, Korbin Albert.

This week, USWNT fans began to notice that Albert’s TikTok account has either shared or reposted a host of anti-LGBTQ+ content.

In addition, Albert liked a post on Instagram from November 2023 that made light of the torn Achilles that Rapinoe suffered in the NWSL championship game — the final match of her career.

Rapinoe, along with several of her USWNT teammates, has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout her career.

As the controversy around Albert began to grow, Rapinoe posted a story on her Instagram account that looked to be directed toward the 20-year-old PSG midfielder.

“For people who want to hide behind ‘my beliefs,’ I would just ask one question, are you making any type of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing the best out of anyone,” she wrote.

“Because if you aren’t, all you believe in is hate. And kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up!

“Yours truly, #15.

“For all my trans homies enduring this horrific treatment day in and day out, I see you and hear you and I am WITH YOU.”

Rapinoe signing the message with “#15” appears to be intentional. After Rapinoe wore the No. 15 for years with the USWNT, Albert has now taken that number as her own.

Longtime USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn reposted Rapinoe’s story along with the caption: “Well said, @mrapinoe.” Other notable names reposting Rapinoe’s story included Sam Mewis, Kristie Mewis and Lynn Williams.

Later on Thursday, Albert released a statement of apology on her own Instagram story.

Albert, who made her USWNT debut in December, has been called into the USWNT’s roster for the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off next weekend with a match against Japan.

The midfielder scored a tremendous long-range effort in PSG’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg against on Häcken on Thursday, showing that at least on the field, the controversy wasn’t affecting her.

When contacted by Pro Soccer Wire for comment, Albert’s representatives said they could only point to her statement on Instagram.

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The top young USWNT players and prospects in 2023

The USWNT’s future is promising as tomorrow’s stars are already emerging

The U.S. women’s national team has its focus firmly on this summer’s World Cup, but the team’s future is looking good.

While several veterans may be looking at their last tournament this summer in Australia and New Zealand, the USWNT should be able to go from strength to strength based on the depth of young talent coming through.

In particular, NWSL’s recent rule changes allowing players under the age of 18 to sign pro deals will mean better development environments than the U.S. youth scene has ever offered girls before.

Below are some of the USWNT’s best young players. For the purposes of this list, the player must be born in 2002 or later.