U.S. Women's Soccer Team Files Complaint, Want Equal Pay to Male Soccer Players

Five members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team – Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo – want equal pay to the male players and have filed a federal labor complaint against U.S. Soccer with their rights and demands.

The five players represent the team as a whole and filed the papers on Thursday (March 31), the New York Times reports. The women allege they are paid 40% of what male players are making.

“I think the timing is right,” Carli said on the Today show. “I think that we’ve proven our worth over the years. Just coming off of a World Cup win, the pay disparity between the men and women is just too large. And we want to continue to fight.”

“We believe now the time is right because we believe it’s a responsibility for women’s sports, specifically women’s soccer, to really do whatever it takes for equal pay and equal rights and to be treated with respect,” Hope added.

U.S. Soccer responded on the Today show, stating, “We’re disappointed about this action. We’ve been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we’ve made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years.”

Click inside to watch the video from the Today show appearance…