Union's Alejandro Bedoya on U.S. Soccer anthem rule: 'People have a choice'

VANCOUVER, B.C. - After the Union's scoreless draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Sunday, I asked Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya for his thoughts on the U.S. Soccer Federation's new policy that requires players to stand during the playing of the national anthem before kickoff.

Bedoya is a national team stalwart, with 57 caps over the last seven years. He has represented the U.S. with distinction on a range of big international stages, including the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Copa América Centenario.

And as many fans know, Bedoya is not shy about speaking his mind, whether in the Union's locker room or on social media. He's active on Twitter, and posts regularly not just about soccer but other matters too.

Here's what he had to say about the anthem rule:

I don't know what to think of it. I think people can do what they want to do. I don't know what the repercussions are going to be, if you're going to get fired, fined, or who knows what it is. I did see Stu Holden tweet something about [the rule]. He corrected it, saying the wording of it wasn't really - he clarified it a little bit.

I think when you play for your country, you should stand for your anthem, but if you decide not to, that's your right as well. We'll see what happens. I'm a person who, personally, I'm going to respect the anthem. But I think people have a choice to make, and it's their right.

These are the tweets from Fox Sports' Stuart Holden that Bedoya was referring to:

The Twitter handle above is for my general news reporting. My soccer handle is @thegoalkeeper. Contact me there for any questions about this post.