REIMS, France — Huddled in a hotel courtyard, about a dozen young soccer players draped in American flags sang and danced in front of reigning world champions in the sport.
Beyoncé’s voice came through the speaker — “Who run the world? Girls!” — and they took turns stepping into the spotlight. When one girl dipped to the ground and twirled, the United States women’s national team collectively laughed, whooped and said she was the “[Emily] Sonnett of the group.”
The USWNT had just arrived in Reims, France, Friday evening. While the rest of the country turned its attention to the opening match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Paris, which France won 4-0 over South Korea, the U.