In response, she said: Yeah, I mean, I was born in America so I'm always proud to represent my country; and yeah, a lot of us are doing really well and it's great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women's side, on the men's side. So yeah, I feel like we're all doing a great job representing ourselves.
It follows the seizure by US forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on the capital city Caracas this month, along with warnings that US president Donald Trump has recently issued to a host of other countries. So with the US due to host both the World Cup and Olympics over the next two and a half years, what questions does America's foreign policy raise for sports organisations, and could any take a stand?
Other Bundesliga clubs have queried the wisdom of bringing Melnikova in to help Chemnitz's title push. "There were only sporting reasons," club coach Tatjana Bachmayer told DW. "We didn't want to provoke anyone, and above all, we didn't want to make a political statement. We are aware that this could be seen as problematic. But for us, what counts is solidarity in sport and international understanding."
When Donald Trump remained on stage, grinning in the sun as Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy last month, it was all too easy to treat the incident as a one-off mistake. A moment that said plenty about Trump's ego, sure. But ultimately, only a moment. Nope. It's reality. Inescapable. Donald Trump will be everywhere Fifa is in the US, including at the 2026 World Cup due to start in about 10 months, when Canada and Mexico will co-host.