Outpouring of Support for Meikayla Moore

Meikayla Moore was extremely unlucky in New Zealand’s loss against the United States in the SheBelieves Cup and has received an outpouring of support from across the Women’s Soccer world as a result.

Her manager Matt Beard emphasized that Moore’s unlucky performance does not reflect her ability as a player, and is confident that she will recover with the support of her Liverpool teammates. In his recent column, Beard wrote:

It was obviously a difficult time for Meikayla Moore playing for New Zealand and I’m devastated for her, but these things can happen in football. We will support her as always and we will rally round her as a club and as a team. We are a close-knit group.

I know it’s not nice in the moment, but I’m confident she will recover from it. She is such a diamond and our fans will welcome her back with the fantastic song they have for her.

Elsewhere, journalists and fans have emphasized the strength of her character and her importance to this Liverpool side.

Caoimhe O’Neill of The Athletic took to Twitter to emphasize not just her continued performances at the highest level in the sport, but also who she is as a person — specifically reminding us of the work Moore put in with Jürgen Klopp to recognize the Rainbow Laces campaign and the visibility of LGBT+ players in sport.

The Liverpool Women’s Supporters Group released a compilation of Moore’s finest moments, reminding us all that none of us can be defined by only our low points.

Journalists Kieran Theivam and Andy Kelly also spoke about Moore’s quality and backed her ability to bounce back after the “cruelty” of the game.

After any poor performance, the hard edge of social media can show itself, with fans sometimes taking to their keyboards to send players abuse from the safety of a distance. In cases like these, such abuse is often tinged with sexism, as commentors choose to be the worst of us.

In such an environment, it is heartening to see an outpouring of support for Moore, who has been central to Liverpool’s performances and morale since she arrived. It goes without saying that The Liverpool Offside supports Moore to bounce back, and are grateful for all she does and will continue to do in a red shirt.