REIMS, France — In choosing to sue their bosses for gender discrimination amid the most critical phase of their World Cup preparations, the veteran leaders of the U.S. women’s national soccer team insisted it would not be a distraction.
They were fully capable, they promised, of waging battles on two fronts: proving their worth on the fields of France while demanding via the legal system they be compensated fairly for it.
The Americans haven’t won anything yet, but midway through the tournament, they have scored major interim victories in both arenas.
On the field, they steamrolled through the group stage by scoring a record 18 goals and conceding none in three matches.