US women's national soccer team stars wore messages of support for trans kids during a game in Texas

• On Wednesday night, the US women's national soccer team played a SheBelieves Cup game in Frisco, Texas.
• American captain Becky Sauerbrunn and other stars wore notes that said "Protect Trans Kids" on their wrists.

Several US women's national soccer team players offered messages of support for transgender youth ahead of their team's game in Frisco, Texas, on Wednesday night.

Captain Becky Sauerbrunn — along with players like Catarina Macario, Margaret Purce, and others — wore tape on their wrists with the words "Protect Trans Kids" written in black ink before they took on Iceland in their third of three matches for the 2022 SheBelieves Cup.

Here's a look at Sauerbrunn's note:

Sauerbrunn and her teammates issued their subtle statement just one day after the rights of transgender youth in the state came under fire.

On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the state's Commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services ordering his agency "to investigate reports of 'gender-transitioning procedures' as child abuse" and probe parents who offer gender-affirming care to their transgender children, per the Austin American-Statesman.

Just a few hours before the US Women's National Team took the field, Sauerbrunn shared a message on Twitter blasting the anti-trans legislation as "MONSTROUS" and sharing ways to help fight for transgender rights in the Lone Star State.

The Stars and Stripes went on to rout Iceland 5-0 to win the US-based international tournament for the third consecutive year and the fifth time since 2016.

While speaking to the media after the game, Macario — who scored two goals Wednesday en route to earning SheBelieves Cup MVP honors — offered more details about the team's wristband gesture. She explained that the idea initially came from a text Megan Rapinoe, the USWNT superstar who wasn't on the team's roster for this tournament, sent to players that described Abbott's anti-trans agenda and the harm it has on kids in the state.

Macario said the USWNT players feel a responsibility to "do things much bigger than just the game" and that their display "was a way to show awareness."