Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden has spoken about the first time she was racially abused on a football pitch - when she was just 14.

She told the Chicago Sun Times: "I was playing club soccer, and a girl on the other team called me the N-word.

“I had never been called that. I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ That was the first time I remember being hated for my skin colour.”

Gorden said the NWSL are discussing ways in which the league can show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement during the Challenge Cup which starts on June 27.

They will be the first league to return to action in North America. There are 25 games scheduled over 30 days, with the aim to complete the season in just one month.

Gorden added: "We haven’t decided on what we’re doing, but there were a lot of great ideas.

“Whether it be warm-up T-shirts or kneeling in the eighth minute, just discussions about what we can do to keep this talk going and show we’re in support with our black players and this movement.”