USMNT stands up for women

The players’ association for the U.S. men’s national team is criticizing U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro’s efforts to counter arguments made by the women’s team in a fight over pay.

Cordeiro sent a letter to the federation’s members Monday that said U.S. Soccer paid the World Cup champion women’s team more than the men’s team over the period from 2010 to 2018.

The letter came as the federation faces mounting public pressure over pay issues. Players for the women’s team filed a federal lawsuit in March alleging gender discrimination by U.S. Soccer in matters including compensation. The issue was highlighted at the Women’s World Cup in France, where the crowd chanted “Equal Pay!” following the U.S. victory in the final earlier this month.

“The women’s national team players deserve equal pay and are right to pursue a legal remedy from the courts or Congress. The Federation correctly points to the different payment systems with USWNT players on contracts, but we do not believe that justifies discrediting the work they do or the real value of their profound impact on the American sports landscape,” the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association said Tuesday.

U.S. Soccer also claimed the women’s team generated less gross revenue than the men’s team from 2009-19 and that women’s games resulted in a net loss of $27.5 million for the federation.

NEYMAR: Brazilian police said Tuesday they have decided there are no grounds to bring rape charges against Neymar. And they’re investigating whether his accuser filed a false report. “We checked all the possibilities. I did not see enough elements to indict,” Sao Paulo police investigator Juliana Lopes Bussacos said in a news conference. She also rejected possible assault charges.

BRAZIL: Pia Sundhage of Sweden took over as the coach of Brazil’s women’s national team with a promise of change, but not a total overhaul. Sundhage, 59, said she signed a two-year deal with a possible extension for the ’23 Women’s World Cup.