SANFORD, Florida -- U.S. men's national team manager Bruce Arena said that if any of his players plan on kneeling for the national anthem, he expects they would check with him first.
Friday's World Cup qualifier against Panama will mark the first U.S. game since President Donald J. Trump made derogatory remarks about NFL players who kneel for the anthem, going so far as to say they should be fired.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's training session, Arena was asked if he would support his players if they felt moved to make that kind of gesture.
"I'm sure they'd talk to me about it if that's the case, but we haven't discussed that," he said.