USMNT

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard praised Christian Pulisic as the American forward scored an equalizer five minutes after coming off the bench to help Chelsea earn a 2-1 comeback win at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

Pulisic leveled on the hour after Kortney Hause had given Villa a 43rd minute lead and Frenchman Olivier Giroud netted the winner two minutes later, tightening Chelsea's grip on fourth place.

Trailing Aston Villa 1-0 with just over half an hour remaining, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard turned to Christian Pulisic off the bench and the American responded by scoring the equalizer just five minutes later.

Although Chelsea dominated possession in the first half, it was Villa center back Kortney Hause who opened the scoring in the 43rd minute following a cross from Douglas Luiz.

The world governing body of soccer has responded to Donald Trump denouncing the idea of players kneeling during the U.S. national anthem. When asked about Trump’s tweet about no longer watching U.S. Soccer over players potentially kneeling, FIFA said to The Associated Press that it firmly stands behind showing patience and understanding.

Longtime U.S. men's national team member Fabian Johnson is seeking a move to MLS, according to a report.

Kristian Dyer of Sports Illustrated tweeted that Johnson, who plays for Borussia Monchengladbach of the Bundesliga, has been in contact with "multiple" MLS teams through his agent.

United States President Donald Trump has said he will not watch National Football League or U.S. soccer team matches if players do not stand for the national anthem.

The U.S. Soccer Federation last week said it had dropped its requirement that players stand during the anthem, saying the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) announced he is drafting legislation to force U.S. Soccer players to stand for the national anthem or “face financial repercussions.”

Four years later, U.S. Soccer admitted it was wrong and said it’s sorry.

The U.S. Soccer Federation released a statement on Wednesday evening saying its board of directors had voted to repeal Policy 604-1, which was put in place to prevent national team players from kneeling during the national anthem before a match. 

The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted yesterday to repeal Policy 604-1, which required our players to stand during the national anthem.

Weston McKennie is not shying away from the spotlight, not backing down from what he believes and not afraid to speak out against the most powerful man in the world.

The USMNT and Schalke midfielder said U.S. President Donald Trump is racist in an interview published in the German magazine Sport Bild this week, adding that he doesn’t feel Trump is fit to be president.

With the United States Soccer Federation debating whether to repeal its rule requiring players to stand for the nation anthem, Major League Soccer reconfirmed Tuesday that it does not prevent anyone from kneeling in protest.

The USSF's board of directors held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss its anthem policy but did not take immediate action, according to the New York Times. Per the report, no decision is likely to come before the board has a regularly scheduled meeting on Friday.