Does equal work really mean equal pay for pro soccer athletes? The U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) is making headlines again as all 28 current players, collectively referred to as the USWNT, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Los Angeles against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), alleging institutionalized gender discrimination under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (Equal Pay Act) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII). The lawsuit, which is seeking damages, back pay and adjustment of their wage and benefits rate, also seeks class certification to include all female professional players since 2015. The USWNT recently filed the complaint, appropriately enough, on International Women’s Day. The five named plaintiffs include Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbunn. After the matter was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2016, the players finally received a right to sue this past February.

The USWNT, comprised of female players that “hold permanent nationality” for the United States, represent the country in international competitions including the Olympics and World Cup on behalf of the USSF. The USSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the governing body of soccer in the United States and has authority and oversight of programming, regulations, and insuring discipline for all organized soccer from amateur to professional. The USSF employs the  women’s  and men’s national teams and regulates both team’s compensation and benefits.

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