Women players suing US Soccer say in court documents filed Tuesday that the federation has acknowledged the jobs of men and women footballe...
Women players suing US Soccer say in court documents filed Tuesday that the federation has acknowledged the jobs of men and women footballers require equal skill.
The language seemed to signal a decrease in tension between the parties after language in documents filed by federation lawyers earlier in March provoked widespread outrage in saying that playing on the men’s national team required a higher level of skill based on speed and strength and carried greater responsibility.
The fierce backlash, not only from the women players but from sponsors such as Coca-Cola, ultimately forced Carlos Cordeiro to resign as president of the federation, to be replaced by vice president Cindy Parlow Cone – a former US international.
US Soccer brought in new legal counsel, which has focused in court filings on refuting the plaintiffs’ claims that the federation violated the US Equal Pay Act and other anti-discrimination legislation.
“The parties have significantly narrowed the issues to be tried by way of discovery and briefing,” Tuesday’s filing from the players’ lawyers said.
“USSF no longer disputes that the jobs of the WNT and MNT players require equal skill, effort and responsibility – and therefore have necessarily conceded that they perform equal work.”
The documents filed by the federation outlining the case they plan to...
