U.S. Women's Soccer Team Seeks 'Equal Pay for Equal Play'

(ATR) Five of the top U.S. women’s soccer players signed filings to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) arguing for equal pay to the men’s national team.

Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn accused the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) of wage discrimination, filing the action with the help of law firm Winston and Strawn on Wednesday.

"This is the strongest case of discrimination against women athletes in violation of law that I have ever seen," said lead attorney Jeffrey Kessler.

The players cite the most recent USSF annual report that demonstrates a disparity in pay between the men’s national team and the women’s national team for the same amount of work and often better results by the women’s team.

"The numbers speak for themselves," said long-time U.S. goalie Hope Solo. "We are the best in the world, have three World Cup championships, four Olympic championships, and the U.S.M.N.T. get paid more to just show up than we get paid to win major championships."

Despite consistently being ranked the number one team in the world over the past seven years, the U.S. Women's National Team (WNT) receives 38 percent the amount of pay per friendly match as their male counterparts. Players on the WNT earn $1,350 for each friendly match they win, while players on the men’s team earn $5,000 per friendly match regardless of the outcome.

Payment for success at the World Cup is also disproportional. In 2014 the men’s team earned $9,000,000 for losing in the round of 16 whereas the women’s team only earned $2,000,000 for winning the World Cup in 2015.

"The women earned four times less than the men while performing demonstrably better," the filing reads.

Prior to the recent filing, the players association for the WNT submitted a proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement with equal pay for equal work as the guiding principal.

"US Soccer responded by suing the players in an effort to keep in place the discriminatory and unfair treatment they have endured for years."

"Recently, it has become clear that the Federation has no intention of providing us equal pay for equal work," said Rapinoe, who also reached out on social media to promote the cause.

Equal Play. Equal Pay. RESPECT. pic.twitter.com/nUclSUPAAx

— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) March 31, 2016

Sauerbrunn says the inaction by the USSF caused the players to pursue another path in order to earn equal pay.

"We had to take our fight for equity and equality to another battlefield," Sauerbrunn says.

Five players signed the complaint, but the decision to file was whole-heartedly supported by the entire team. #equalplayequalpay #thegals

— Becky Sauerbrunn (@beckysauerbrunn) March 31, 2016

The USSF says it has not seen the filing by the women’s team but is "disappointed about this action".

"We have been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we have made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years," the USSF said in a statement.

The EEOC will now conduct an investigation into the matter and could seek relief for members of the women’s team if it rules in their favor. The EEOC tells Around the Rings it cannot comment on or confirm the existence of charge filings unless it files a lawsuit as a last resort.

The USSF says it is committed to negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that will address compensation that will take place at the end of 2016.

"U.S. Soccer will continue to be an advocate on the global soccer stage to influence and develop the women's game and evolve FIFA's compensation model," the USSF says.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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