Black Players Coalition of MLS forms
More than 70 Major League Soccer players have formed the Black Players Coalition of MLS, they announced Friday.
The players include the Chicago Fire's C.J. Sapong, a coalition board member. Fire players Micheal Azira, Johan Kappelhof and Andre Reynolds II also are part of the BPC.
Justin Morrow of Toronto FC is the executive director. Former Fire players Sean Johnson, Quincy Amarikwa and Jalil Anibaba also are on the board.
The BPC will "address racial inequalities in our league, stand with all those fighting racism in the world of soccer, and positively impact black communities across the United States and Canada," the BPC said in a statement on Twitter.
The announcement came on Juneteenth, the day that celebrates the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reaching all the slaves in the United States during the Civil War.
The BPC is not affiliated with the MLS Players Association but is working with the MLSPA and the league. It also has received a $75,000 contribution from the MLSPA.
The BPC statement also recognized other players acting against racism.
"We see you and you empower us," the statement read.