NPSL's Tulsa Athletic Replaces National Anthem With 'This Land Is Your Land'

National Premier Soccer League team Tulsa Athletic announced on Thursday it will begin using 'This Land Is Your Land' as its "song of patriotism," before matches.

Tulsa said using the 'Star-Spangled Banner' before matches "does not align with the club's core values."

"From our beginning, we have developed a culture of inclusion and acceptance at Tulsa Athletic,” Athletic co-owner Sonny Dalesandro said in a statement. “We live in a country that allows us to freely speak our voice. We utilize this right as a club to continually try and improve our team and community. We believe ‘This Land Is Your Land’ not only captures a powerful patriotic sentiment, but that it does so in a far more inclusive way."

"The song speaks to this country being built and shared by every person of every race, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. It represents a future Tulsa Athletic is committed to striving for.”

Tulsa's decision follows comments from former U.S. men's national team coach Bruce Arena on June 19. Arena said he believes the national anthem should not be played before club matches in the United States, noting it "puts people in awkward positions."

"I question why we're playing the national anthem at sporting events in our country," Arena told ESPN's Taylor Twellman. "I think it puts people in awkward positions. We don't use the national anthem in movie theaters, on Broadway, other events in the United States. I don't think it's appropriate to have a national anthem before a baseball game, an MLS game."

Tulsa has been a member of the NPSL since the league's inaugural season in 2013.