USNSTPA statement on US Soccer legal filings

In response to the US Soccer Federation filings in the litigation brought by members of the US Women’s National Team, the US National Soccer Team Players Association releases the following statement:

We are aware of the position the US Soccer Federation has taken that the job of female professional soccer players is substantively different than the job of male professional soccer players. This is not new and has been an ongoing theme in their strategy to win the equal pay litigation brought against them by members of the US Women’s National Team. The members of the US National Soccer Team Players Association once again stand with the women’s national team players and share their outrage at the behavior of the US Soccer Federation. We also join the call for better leadership for our sport.

The change in law firm is a sleight of hand. The Federation’s submissions in court are 100% consistent with the longstanding positions and values of Federation leadership. The effort to blame the lawyers to appease outraged Federation sponsors underlines the lack of accountability and other larger problems at US Soccer. The legal strategy to demean the women’s national team and their accomplishments is consistent with the Federation’s overall approach to dealing with National Team players. It’s also no surprise to us that USSF president Carlos Cordeiro’s solution is window dressing – not replacing current counsel, but just adding some help from the same law firm that has represented the Federation for many years in labor negotiations, including dealings with the USWNT players. Nothing is changing at the Federation or in the positions it is taking in court. We continue to wait for US Soccer to respond to our January 2019 proposal for equal pay and equal working conditions for USMNT and USWNT players, so we can work towards a new collective bargaining agreement for the men’s national team and a fair deal for equal compensation and working conditions for the US Women’s National Team.