US Soccer recently instituted a new policy for its players, requiring them to stand during the anthem.
New Policy added to @ussoccer bylaws: Players "shall stand respectfully during playing of national anthem @ which federation is represented" pic.twitter.com/fkVtCI1iHC
— Stuart Holden (@stuholden) March 4, 2017
This policy was passed on February 9 as seen on the slide above, and looks to be displayed for announcement at the latest USSF Annual General Meeting, which took place from March 2 - 5 in Wailea, Hawaii.
This policy is without a doubt in response to Megan Rapinoe’s recent protest action, in which she took a knee during the national anthem for both club and country in order to protest racial injustice and police brutality against black Americans.