The USMNT get their 2022 World Cup campaign underway on Monday with a Group B match against Wales.
The United States made a statement ahead of the tournament by redesigning their crest with rainbow colors to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.
But the striking crest is not being worn by the players in the match against Wales, with the team’s shirts featuring a far more familiar design.
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We explain why below.
What jerseys are the USMNT wearing?
The USMNT are wearing their primary white kit.
The “home” offering is a nearly all-white affair that Nike describes as “draw(ing) inspiration from the United States’ diversity and storied legacy across a variety of sports, leagues and associations.”
The sleeves have swooshes akin to an NFL jersey; the socks, navy blue, keep the uniform from being entirely bleach friendly.
The kit features the traditional U.S. logo, with red stripes.
Why is the USMNT not wearing rainbows?
The US Soccer Federation changed the red stripes in their logo to seven different colors at their Al Gharrafa training facility, which is the team’s base for the competition.
Controversy has shrouded this World Cup from the moment FIFA awarded it to Qatar in 2010, with same-sex relationships criminalised in the country.
The Pride crests are a small statement of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community by U.S. Soccer. According to a federation spokesperson, U.S. Soccer will also display the Pride crest and rainbow flags at the pre-match parties it hosts for fans the night before World Cup games.
Read more: Man runs on to pitch at Portugal-Uruguay match with rainbow flag
The idea, the spokesperson said, is to display the federation’s values and show fans that the pre-match parties are welcoming and open for all.
The spokesperson said that U.S. Soccer informed the Qatari Supreme Committee, which is in charge of organizing the tournament, late in 2021 that it planned to display the Pride crest in different areas. That conversation, the spokesperson said, was more of a case of the federation letting the Supreme Committee know that it would be taking the action rather than asking their permission.
The team will display the rainbow crest only in areas it controls. It will not be worn on the field.
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Could the USMNT be sanctioned by FIFA?
No. FIFA was aware of the USSF’s decision to display the rainbow flag, a spokesperson said.
It should go without saying, of course, that homosexuality is not an ideology. It is, as Adam Crafton noted in a poignant column shortly after FIFA sent its letter, the way a person is born, not a political belief.
A number of European sides were, however, deterred from taking to the field in Qatar with special ‘OneLove’ captain’s armbands after conversations with FIFA at the tournament.
England, Wales and other European nations will not wear the OneLove armband at the World Cup because of the threat of players being booked.
The captains had planned to wear the armband during matches to promote diversity and inclusion. But a joint statement from seven football associations said they could not put their players “in a position where they could face sporting sanctions”.
“We are very frustrated by the FIFA decision, which we believe is unprecedented,” a statement on Monday read.
(Photo: OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
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