The herculean effort for equal pay between the United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) and United States Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT) kicked-off in earnest in 2016. A petition catalyzed a gender discrimination complaint against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) by the USWNT.
USWNT Collective Bargaining Agreement player-leadership team consisting of Becky Sauerbrunn, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo and Carli Lloyd, filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint. In the complaint, USWNT members raised to the Commission unequal pay and treatment.
The players asserted that U.S. Soccer was in violation of both the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.