Members of the United States Women’s Soccer Team have again remained silent while the national anthem was played prior to their dramatic World Cup defeat to Sweden.

While five members of the team sung along as the anthem played prior to the round of 16 tie at the AAMI Park, six, including Naomi Girma and Crystal Dunn, elected not to. 

In previous Women’s World Cup group ties against Vietnam, The Netherlands and Portugal, the majority of Vlatko Andonovski’s side have not sung along to the national anthem.

Prior to their goalless draw with Portugal, the majority of the side stood motionless as the anthem played out, with only captain Lindsey Horan, Alex Morgan, Alyssa Naeher and Julie Ertz putting their hands on their hearts.

The decision led to criticism from American media personality Megyn Kelly, who blamed Megan Rapinoe for the decision, despite the 38-year-old not being included in the starting XI for the clash.

‘Megan Rapinoe, she’s the leader of all this… She’s not a starter. So that’s why she’s not on camera when they’re doing the national anthem, but she’s behind a lot of this,’ Kelly said while hosting the Megyn Kelly Show.

‘She’s poisoned the entire team against the country for which they play. I don’t know about you, but I’m not rooting for them. I’m not with them. I hope they lose…It’s shameful. These girls are shameful. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.’

Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Rapinoe has long been known for her political advocacy, having campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights and supported Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the anthem to protest against racial injustice in the US.

Rapinoe, now playing in her final World Cup, said in 2019 that she would ‘never put my hand over my heart’ and ‘never sing the national anthem again.’ 

The USWNT entered the clash with Sweden looking to rebound from a disappointing group stage performance from the four-time World Cup winners.

Victory over Vietnam in their tournament opener was followed by back-to-back draws with the Netherlands and Portugal, allowing them to narrowly progress to the knockout stages.

Despite dominating Sweden, the USA were unable to find an opening goal as the game continued beyond the 90 minutes and ultimately headed to penalties goalless.

Then, after a nail biting shootout that saw extra-time substitute Rapinoe unable to convert her penalty, Sweden triumphed to hand the defending champions the earliest World Cup exit in their history.

Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup after defeating the USWNT 5-4 on penalties following a dramatic last-16 clash.

The World Cup holders headed into the game under pressure, having come second in their group and faced a Sweden side who had topped theirs with three comfortable wins from three.

Vlatko Andonovski’s outfit were much better as they dominated the clash but were thwarted by several superb saves from Swedish stopper Zecira Musovic.

Lindsey Horan also hit the crossbar in the first half, before Musovic pulled off a sensational one-handed stop from her in the second half. In the final moments of the 90 minutes, she also prevented a certain Alex Morgan goal from point-blank range.

The US continued to dominate in extra-time but couldn’t force a breakthrough before a dramatic penalty shootout.

They raced into a 3-2 lead, but Megan Rapinoe missed her effort, before Sophia Smith blazed over when she had the chance to win the tie. 

It went to sudden death before Kelley O’Hara hit the post and Lina Hurtig had the opportunity to send Sweden through.

Her effort was saved by Alyssa Naeher, but rebounded up in the air. The US keeper clawed it out but there was a delay over whether it had crossed the line, before VAR ruled it had to send Sweden through.  

The president of publishing house Bloomsbury USA has tragically died in a horror boating accident on the Amalfi coast which also saw her husband injured and her two children treated for shock.

Adrienne Vaughan, 45, was with her husband Mike White, daughter Leanna, 14, and son Mason, 11, when their speedboat collided with a sailing ship upon which 85 people were celebrating a wedding.

Ms Vaughan was thrown into the water and fatally struck by the boat’s propellers, with witness Pietro Iuzzolino telling Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper: ‘She had no arm and the back of her head was white, as if no blood was flowing.’ 

He added that the skipper of the speedboat was ‘vomiting’ and ‘gave the impression he was drunk.’ The 30-year-old driver also failed toxicology tests after the tragedy, according to Italian outlets Ansa and Italy24.  

Vaughan had been dreaming of a trip to Italy for some time and was with her family on a tour of Europe, according to local media.

The family, from New York, had chartered a motorboat in Nerano and yesterday were travelling towards Positano. At about 6.30pm in Fiordo di Furore they crashed into a 130ft Tortuga ship with American and German tourists on board. 

Vaughan had rented the 29-foot speedboat with her family for a trip off the coast, near the Italian city of Naples, according to Agenzia Giornalistica Italia.  

It is unclear what caused the speedboat to collide with the 130-foot yacht, as it flung Vaughan and several others on board into the water. 

Two ambulances and a helicopter rushed to the scene, and Vaughan was taken to a pier where first responders tried desperately to save her life. 

An air ambulance was called to the area, but by the time it arrived at around 7pm she was declared dead. 

Her husband was also thrown off the boat and suffered serious limb injuries, including a dislocated shoulder. He was rushed to hospital in Castiglione di Ravello. 

The children were unharmed in the accident but suffered from shock. The skipper of the boat was also injured and taken to hospital, and it is unclear what he failed the toxicology test for. 

An investigation has now been launched by the Amalfi Port Authority. 

Ms Vaughan was named the US president of the Bloomsbury publishing house in 2021. She was involved in major projects involving titles such as the Harry Potter series. From 2015 to 2018 she had worked for the Disney publishing group.

She was described as ‘charismatic true leader’, by a former colleague on LinkedIn, who added: ‘She was my coach and my mentor. I loved working with her every day. It was always ready to help others.’ 

Just days ago the family had visited Rome and shared pictures of them in front of the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum.

Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun remains Inter Milan’s number target after they cooled their interest in Atletico Madrid‘s Alvaro Morata. 

Balogun returned to the Gunners following a successful spell on loan at Ligue 1 side Reims last season, but has been linked with a permanent move away from The Emirates. 

Now La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that Inter have made the American international their first-choice target as they search for a new forward. 

The Italian side had begun the window looking to do a deal with Chelsea to bring back Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal, but talks broke down earlier this month leaving the Belgian in limbo. 

Simone Inzaghi then turned his attention to Atletico’s former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, but the club have backed away from a deal for the Spaniard. 

The Italians were put off by Madrid’s reported €21m(£18m) asking price for a player who’s now 30 and would demand wages of around €9m(£7.7m). 

There were also doubts over the desire of Morata in moving from Spain to Serie A, something that was key in Inter’s deals for Davide Frattesi and Marcus Thuram this summer. 

Balogun now remains the focus of Inter’s transfer ambitions but the fee for the 22-year-old could prove to be the stumbling block. 

Arsenal are looking for a £50m fee for the player, who scored 21 goals in 37 appearances in France last season – a figure that Inter are not willing to match. 

However, the Nerazzurri believe the price tag could be reduced by the Gunners before the end of the current window. 

If Inter do fail in their pursuit of the Arsenal hitman, they’ve identified Udinese’s Beto as a further alternative in their striker search.  

Balogun wants the security of first-team football this season, and was seen training alone during Arsenal’s pre-season friendly against Barcelona earlier this week. 

He faces fierce competition in north London with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah already part of Mikel Arteta’s plans. 

The Arsenal boss has already admitted his squad may need to be trimmed down following the arrivals of Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice over the summer window. 

Balogun could be one of several exits from the club, with Nicolas Pepe, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Kieran Tierney also in the firing line.