Five stars of the US Women’s soccer team have accused the US Soccer Federation of wage discrimination, saying that even as they won a world championship they were drastically underpaid compared to the men’s team. 

The five — co-captains Carli Lloyd and Becky Sauerbrunn, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and goalkeeper Hope Solo — mailed a federal complaint against the US Soccer Federation to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

USWNT vs. US Soccer Federation: The Players’ Affidavit

“I’ve been on this team now for a decade and a half,” Hope Solo told Matt Lauer on The Today Show. “And I’ve been through numerous … negotiations and honestly not much has changed. We continue to be told we should be grateful just to have the opportunity to get to play professional soccer and to get paid for doing it. And, in this day and age it’s about equality. It’s about equal rights.”

The women argue that they not only generate more revenue for the US Soccer Foundation, they’re more successful. 

And how underpaid? In a release, the law firm representing the five say men’s team players got as much as four times as much.

USWNT vs. US Soccer Federation: Exhibit 2

“I think that the timing is right,” says Carli Lloyd. “I think that we’ve proven our worth over the years. Just coming off of a World Cup win. The pay disparity between the men and women is just too large and we want to continue to fight. The generation of players before us fought and now it’s our job to keep on fighting.”

The USSF told The Today Show in a statement that it is “disappointed” by the action.

Previous Coverage of the USWNT
US soccer star Carli Lloyd is named FIFA’s Woman Player of the Year
Unforgettable: Is Abby Wambach the greatest soccer player ever?
The US Women’s National Soccer team made history for girls everywhere. Again.
US wins women’s World Cup, but young athletes still face gender gap
The most-watched soccer match in US history prompts gaze at FIFA’s unequal payouts
Electrifying play, younger fans: Will FIFA now embrace the (female) future of soccer?
The strong connection between gender equality and a kickass national women’s soccer team
Turf burns and 120-degree fields show FIFA’s contempt for the Women’s World Cup

From PRI’s The World ©2016 PRI