US women’s team refuse to sing national anthem as seven players stay silent ahead of Portugal game

The majority of the starting XI stayed silent, despite accusations of being ‘disrespectful’ after similar displays before opening two games

The United States women’s team continued their ‘silent’ protest of the national anthem before their Women’s World Cup match against Portugal as at least seven players refused to sing.

It was the third match in succession where some players had elected against singing the Star-Spangled Banner, though it remains unclear why a significant proportion of them are choosing to stay silent.

Several players did not sing before the games against Vietnam and the Netherlands (see below), which has become one of the biggest talking points at this year’s World Cup, and it drew harsh criticism from the US and accusations of “embarrassing” and “disrespectful”.

Yet despite being targeted for not singing, eight of the starting XI stayed tight-lipped on Tuesday morning, with only three players choosing to sing the national anthem.