Controversial United States women’s national team midfielder Korbin Albert will be part of the squad’s 18-player Olympic roster this summer in Paris.
The news came Wednesday when USWNT head coach Emma Hayes announced her roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which included 10 players who took part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup — but excluded star Alex Morgan.
But Albert’s inclusion has drawn plenty of attention because of anti-LGBTQ+ social media posts she shared earlier this year — something that she later apologized for — that have led to fans booing her at USWNT games.
Hayes said she chose Albert based on “merit” and what she can provide the women’s national team on the pitch in Paris.
“I think she’s demonstrated, in Gold Cup, that she can play, a lot of games in quick succession,” Hayes told reporters on Wednesday. “She’s got the ability to play all three midfield positions, though [central midfielder] is her best position.”
The women’s coach also acknowledged the controversy surrounding Hayes.
“There’s no denying there’s been a lot of work that’s been going on in the background, to work with Korbin,” Hayes said. “As I’ve expressed on a couple of occasions, it’s really important that everybody on this team understands the importance of not just being tolerant and respectful and understanding the things that are going to matter to us all.
“Korbin has had to learn, and my experiences with her has been someone who, she’s a young person who’s understood fully the implications of her social media activity. I’m not going to go into that in great detail because that’s between Korbin and I. But the conversations we have had have been to talk about the importance of what we have to be mindful of and how we’re all part of environment that’s one that appreciates and understands the damage that that can do.”
At the end of March, Albert shared posts on TikTok of a Christian sermon that described being gay and “feeling transgender” as wrong.
The 20-year-old rising soccer star deleted the posts and apologized calling it “insensitive and hurtful” and describing her actions as “immature and disrespectful.”
Albert had also reportedly liked a post on Instagram that mocked former USWNT star Megan Rapinoe’s injury in her final career game, with the post including the statement: “God taking time off performing miracles to make sure Megan Rapinoe sprains her ankle in her final ever game.”
The midfielder has been jeered at USWNT games in April and earlier this month, and Hayes said that Albert has heard the negative feedback at games.
“I think she’s had a really, really tough time. She’s really struggled,” Hayes said Wednesday.
The USWNT coach also went on to defend Albert’s character.
“I can say, firsthand, having spent a limited time with Korbin, she really is a lovely person and someone who really values the most important things,” Hayes said. “She’s spending time working on herself, as we all do. I look forward to building on that with her. I want everybody to know that my job is to make sure I keep doing that and I want the fans to really embrace Korbin. I do think she’s a tremendous human being.”
Albert has made 11 appearances — including the CONCACAF W Gold Cup — for the women’s national team after being called up in November.
