USA advances to Women's World Cup quarter-final amid U.S. Soccer Federation lawsuit

The U.S. Women’s National Team advanced to the Women's World Cup Quarter-final, beating Spain Monday amid a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation for pay disparity.

Fans at The Phoenix on Westheimer watch party were already preparing for the next watch party at the same location Friday when USA takes on France.

“The U.S. Women got the job done and came out with a win, so we’re really excited to face France Friday at the quarter-final," said Ian Feldman, president of the American Outlaws Houston soccer fan group.

Fans at the 11 a.m. watch party skipped out on work, meanwhile 28 players from the U.S. Women’s National Team are in a lawsuit over their jobs, seeking equitable pay and accusing the U.S. Soccer Federation of gender discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges institutionalized gender discrimination including inequitable compensation compared to the Men’s National Team.

Over the weekend the players and U.S. Soccer tentatively agreed to mediate the lawsuit after the Women’s World Cup is over.

“The U.S. Women have made a lot of headway,” said Monica Gonzalez, an assistant coach for the Houston Dash who played for the WSA in the early 2000s.

“The minimum salary in the WSA was $25 thousand a year,” said Gonzalez.

Current U.S. Women’s salaries are part of a collective bargaining agreement that is not public. The U.S. Soccer Federation has maintained the differences in salaries are due to separate collective bargaining agreements that establish separate pay structures for the men’s team and the women’s team.

“The women’s national team—they have their own union that they’ve been fighting for equality,” said Gonzalez.

The fight for equitable pay comes amid a new report that the U.S. Women’s National Team games out-earned the U.S. Men’s National Team games over the past three years. The women’s games brought in more revenue than the men’s games, according to financial statements obtained by the Wall Street Journal.