The USMNT makes a statement with rainbow logo at Qatar

The United States men’s national team were among the first group of players to arrive at Qatar over the weekend ahead of the start of the World Cup. The USMNT decided to show their full support to the LGBTQ+ community by setting up a rainbow-themed logo at their training facility for the duration of the tournament.

The US supports same sex marriage

Qatar has been under a lot of scrutiny recently because they don’t allow same-sex relationships and they have implemented LGBTQ+ policies for the World Cup. So the United States decided to design their logo by using seven rainbow-colored vertical stripes above the USA in dark blue letters.

Also they have quotes such as ‘one nation’ and ‘be the change’ alongside the team’s logo in order to create awareness and inspire social justice in the Middle East. The United States men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter talked about how important it is to create awareness during their participation in Qatar.

“When we are on the world stage and when we are in a venue like Qatar, it is important to bring awareness to these issues and that is what ‘Be the Change’ is about,” US coach Gregg Berhalter told a news conference on Monday. “It is not just Stateside that we want to bring attention to social issues, it is also abroad. We recognise that Qatar has made strides and there has been a ton of progress but there’s some work still to do.”

Other players speak about this issue as well

“We are a group who believes in inclusivity and we will continue to project that message going forward,” said US goalkeeper Sean Johnson. “We have chatted and continue to have discussions as we lead into the games. We have leaned on the message of ‘Be the Change’. That is something that we have been proud of and continue to work towards, be impactful with ourselves, our presence and our platform, and we will continue to be so here in Qatar.”