We want to be paid equally - Megan Rapinoe
Mediations between US Soccer and the US women's national team broke down and the team's demands are set to go to court to solve the issue.
Mediation between the United States women's national team and US Soccer ended without reaching an agreement over equal pay demands, sending the issue to court for it to be solved.
Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press' statements on the matter didn't wait, as both players attended interviews with "Good Morning America" and "CBS This Morning", where both made it clear the team won't accept anything less than equal pay.
"It's very simple for us, and it's not just about us, and it's not just about this moment. We're trying to do this on women's behalf everywhere, so they are treated with respect and paid legally," said Press.
In March 2019, the USWNT filed a lawsuit against the US Federation requesting the same treatment and payment as their male counterparts, but after five months negotiations broke down, with US Soccer claiming they have always had fair salaries.
Rapinoe said they should be paid in the same way as the men's team as, "We show up for a game, if we win the game, if we lose the game, if we tie the game, we want to be paid equally, period," she said.
Molly Levinson, US Soccer spokeswoman, stated the soccer players "adopted an aggressive and unproductive approach that continues months after presenting misleading information to the public in an effort to perpetuate confusion."
Rapinoe's answer
The US captain reacted to the statement with some disbelief, saying: "It's not true, definitely not true. We establish our position to have the conversation; we came ready and willing to talk."
However, Rapinoe doesn't close the door on conversations with US Soccer: "I think if they are willing to have a conversation about equal pay, we are always open to that."