Tuesday 2 July 2019 12:12, UK
USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher has called team-mate Megan Rapinoe "brave" for speaking her mind amid a row with President Donald Trump.
Footage emerged during the Women's World Cup showing Rapinoe saying "I'm not going to the f****** White House" when asked if she would visit should the US retain the trophy.
The 33-year-old also urged her team-mates to "think hard" about whether they would do the same. In return, Trump accused Rapinoe of "disrespect" and told her to focus on winning the trophy.
Rapinoe, who came out publicly in 2012 and has previously accused Trump of being "sexist" and "misogynistic", refused to back down. She said with a smile on her face after her match-winning performance for USA against France last week that women's sides cannot succeed "without gays on your team".
Ahead of USA's semi-final with England on Tuesday, Naeher spoke of her admiration for Rapinoe, who is the joint top-scorer in France so far with five goals.
"I have a lot of respect for Megan, she is a leader for this team and she stands up for what she believes in. She speaks out about that.
"That's brave of her, to speak her mind and stand up for what she feels is right."
Speaking on Sky Sports' Women's World Cup podcast, Liverpool's Jemma Purfield said Rapinoe is becoming a role model beyond simply football.
"She is the face of US football but she is becoming bigger than that. She is becoming an advocate for everything she believes in and a role model for younger people in America to stand up for what they believe in," Purfield said.
"I think that's a credit to her. It shows what type of person she is and what type of leader she is."
Holders USA are looking to reach their third straight World Cup final having won in 2015, four years after losing to Japan on penalties.
With England looking to go one better than their semi-final run last time out, Naeher knows USA must step it up against a side they drew with in the SheBelieves Cup back in March.
"Obviously England are a great team. They're going to be fit, they're going to be amped up for this game as well. I mean, it's a World Cup semi-final," she added.
"There's no time to be tired, you're going to lay it all out on the field. We know it's going to take a full 90-minute effort, potentially 120 minutes.
"We had a great match-up with them back in March, finishing in a draw. We know what we're getting into, we know we need to match their energy and perform to our best as well."
