The U.S. women's national soccer team has called on the U.S. Soccer Federation to repeal a policy that requires players to stand during the national anthem.

In a statement obtained by

The U.S. women's national soccer team has called on the U.S. Soccer Federation to repeal a policy that requires players to stand during the national anthem.

In a statement obtained by ESPN, the team says, We believe the Federation should immediately repeal the 'Anthem Policy,' publish a statement acknowledging the policy was wrong when it was adopted, and issue an apology to our Black players and supporters."

The U.S. Soccer Federation voted to pass the policy after U.S. women's national team midfielder Megan Rapinoe kneeled for the playing of the national anthem during a 2016 match. She described it as a "little nod" to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who led a league-wide movement protesting against police brutality and racial injustice.

"Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties," Rapinoe told American Soccer Now at the time. "It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it. It's important to have white people stand in support of people of color on this. We don't need to be the leading voice, of course, but standing in support of them is something that's really powerful."