The Kansas City Current wore black armbands with the last name of local teenager Ralph Yarl during Sunday’s game against the Orlando Pride.
Yarl, a Black 16-year-old, is recovering at home after being shot earlier this month when he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings. Prosecutors have since filed felony charges against the accused gunman, who is 84 years old and white.
The Current said the armbands were a player-led initiative ahead of the game, which they won 2-0 after goals from Debinha and Cece Kizer.
“I think because it happened in our backyard we really wanted to show our support for him and his family,” midfielder Hailie Mace said after the game. “The entire team was behind it and we are happy to be supporting him at this time.”
KC Current players are wearing black armbands today in support of Ralph Yarl. We as a club support the Yarl family and our players after this devastating incident in our own backyard. pic.twitter.com/AGv2eZzai9
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) April 23, 2023
Interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom said that the gesture may have even given the Current a boost on the pitch, where they won their first NWSL game out of four in 2023.
“We had a meeting yesterday with the players and [it was] their initiative to have these armbands,” Sjöblom said. “It’s really beautiful that we as a club show this today and I think it gave us even more power on the pitch to feel like a unit with KC.”
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