Time to Pay the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team continues to dominate their opposition. The team is coming off their 2nd straight Women’s World Cup title in France last summer. They just won their 3rd SheBelieves Cup with a 3-1 victory over Japan.

Now they enter their biggest fight and it is not on the field. Their ongoing fight for equal pay took a major turn on Monday. Carlos Cordeiro, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, stepped down on Thursday after a controversial court filing that appeared to not respect the playing abilities of female soccer players.

In the document, the USSF said that the women do not perform equal work requiring equal effort. The federation also stated that their abilities do not match up to their male counterparts. This caused a huge uproar considering the men’s team did not qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Cindy Parlow Cone, a former pro soccer player will become the first woman to lead the federation.

The U.S. women’s soccer team is the gold standard of excellence. They have four Women’s World Cups and four Olympic Gold Medals. It should be an easy choice to give all 28 players equal pay. Megan Rapinoe said it best during her speech at the team’s victory parade in New York City last summer.

“Yes, we’re female athletes,” Rapinoe said. “But we’re so much more than that and you’re so much more than that.”

We will see where this ongoing legal fight goes from here. The federation needs to pay these players who do not flop and play the game the right way. The U.S. Soccer Federation should be pushing for equality and not for sexism. This lawsuit is more than sports. It is a pivotal moment for female athletes. The trial starts on May 30th.