The United States Soccer Federation’s (USSF) national council has voted to repeal a policy that required players to stand for the national anthem. More than 70 percent of the members of U.S. Soccer’s ruling body voted on Feb. 27 to repeal Policy 604-1, which was originally adopted by the USSF in 2017. The policy stated: “All persons representing a Federation national team shall stand respectfully during the playing of national anthems at any event in which the Federation is represented.” The USSF adopted the policy in response to response to U.S. women’s national soccer team player Megan Rapinoe, who knelt for the national anthem before a 2016 match to show solidarity with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt before NFL games in protest against police brutality. The item was considered during the virtual assembly of the USSF’s annual general meeting, with USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone weighing in on the rationale for …