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Brian Schmetzer is not someone who wades into controversy easily. The Seattle Sounders coach mostly avoids calling out players or giving opponents anything they might use for bulletin-board material. Attention-seeking is very much not his thing.
That’s partly what makes his Tweet congratulating the United States women’s national team on a record fourth World Cup title so notable. Schmetzer didn’t just celebrate the victory, he also spoke up in support of their biggest cause: equal pay.
@USWNT @mPinoe @alexmorgan13 Congrats on the World Cup win, but also my support in the efforts for equal pay, women’s rights and inclusion in the world soccer narrative. You gave us examples of great sportsmanship and the importance of being role models for all of us. #winners
— brian schmetzer (@brianschmetzer) July 8, 2019
While that may not seem like a particularly controversial opinion — and it shouldn’t be — the reality is that very few active players or coaches on the men’s side have publicly stated this sort of support. Who knows how much good it will ultimately do, but it’s at least nice to see a reasonably high profile figure like Schmetzer showing that this issue is important to people on the men’s side of the game.