Megan Rapinoe and US Women’s team-mates protest equal pay battle by wearing warm-up tops inside out

Megan Rapinoe believes US Soccer have done ‘irreparable’ damage to their already strained relationship with the US women’s national team after a court filing in the ongoing gender discrimination lawsuit argued they have less ‘skill’ than their male counterparts. 

Speaking after inspiring the USWNT to their 3-1 victory over Japan in the SheBelieves Cup win on Wednesday, having opened the scoring on seven minutes with a powerful curling free kick, Rapinoe said: ‘Yes, to a certain extent [it has done irreparable damage]. 

‘Is that truly how they feel about 50 per cent of the population that they are supposed to be stewarding into the game of soccer? I think that says a lot about how they feel about us.’

The case, which sees Rapinoe – one of 28 named plaintiffs – fight for nearly $66 million (£52million) in back pay, is scheduled to go to trial on May 5 in California, though both sides had been reportedly aiming for a quicker resolution. 

But documents filed by the Federation that insist women require less skill, effort and responsibility than their men’s team, only adds fuel to the fire of their well-publicised battle for equal pay. 

‘It’s undertones and undercurrents, sometimes blatantly, that we’ve experienced before which is why we’ve filed the gender discrimination lawsuit. 

The USWNT protested before final with Japan by turning their warm-up tops inside out

The protest hid the US Soccer crest, but not the four stars, in a show of ‘solidarity’

A young fan shows her support by holding up an ‘Equal Pay’ sign during Wednesday’s final

‘But for them to go that low and take it there in this lawsuit is not just disappointing for us, but more so for what it says to every other person in the country, every kid growing up, not only girls but boys as well,’ explained Rapinoe who together with her team-mates took to the field wearing their warm-up tops inside out, hiding the US Soccer crest, but not the four stars, in a show of ‘solidarity’. 

‘You’re not lesser because you’re a girl and you’re not better because you’re a boy as well’. 

But just moments before Vlatko Andonovski’s players lifted the SheBelieves trophy at the Toyota Stadium in Dallas, Texas, USSF President Carlos Cordeiro released a statement, having watched the organisation come under fire from the media, fans and principal sponsors, including Coca-Cola. 

Rapinoe (right) went on to score the opening goal in the final at the Toyota Stadium

Christen Press scored a second goal in the first half as the US Women’s team looked solid

‘On behalf of US Soccer, I sincerely apologise for the offense and pain caused by language in this week’s court filing, which did not reflect the values of our Federation or our tremendous admiration of the Women’s National Team. 

The statement continued: ‘Our WNT players are incredibly talented and work tirelessly, as they have demonstrated time and again from their Olympic gold medals to their World Cup titles.’ 

Though 2019 Ballon d’Or winner Rapinoe quickly dismissed the federation’s efforts. 

The USWNT’s 3-1 victory over Japan saw them lift the SheBelieves Cup in Dallas, Texas

‘That wasn’t for us. That was for fans, for the media, for sponsors, because that all sounded pretty similar to what we’ve heard before,’ she claimed. 

‘You want to talk about hostility? Every negotiation we’ve had those undertones are in there that we’re lesser, every mediation that we had, every time we meet with them and obviously the reason we filed this lawsuit. So for him to put that out saying sorry, presumably to us, we don’t buy it.’ 

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 30, also in California.