BE THE CHANGE

Back in late 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the continued importance of the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Men’s National Team players came together and had conversations about the social injustices that exist at home and across the world.

 

What became abundantly clear through those discussions was that the time to stay on the sidelines was over and they were inspired to develop their own mission statement to send and spread a meaningful message.

 

With the goal of inspiring action in everyone, and showing an example of unity within their diverse group that truly represents a snapshot of America, the USMNT players decided on the following phrase:

 

 

Be The Change

 

 

The spirit of their message is that each and every person in the United States and across the world has the ability, opportunity and responsibility to make a difference in their community and in their own way.

 

As one of the first National Teams to represent the USA after the death of George Floyd, the players believed it was important to take advantage of their platform. In those first matches in late 2020, each player wore Be the Change on the front of their warm-up jacket and on the back of the jacket each player also had the opportunity to put a personalized message that was meaningful to them. Those personal messages demonstrated that while united in our goal, individuals can choose their own path to impact change.

 

In the following years, the USMNT players continued to find ways to voice Be the Change for positive impact, including this past June by sending a letter to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives imploring them to pass stricter gun legislation.

 

“Our ability to affect change is limited, but yours is not,” the USMNT said in the letter. “You could vote this week to address gun violence in America, and in fact, you will be given that opportunity. In the coming days, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on several bills that would address this serious issue. Please vote yes on all the bills being considered.”

 

The full letter is available here.

 

As the USMNT prepares for the 2022 World Cup, and more and more fans across the United States – and the world – follow their journey, U.S. Soccer will continue to share the team's Be the Change message, inviting everyone to join in their message of continuing positive progress and generating lasting impact.

 

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