Hope Solo has claimed that ex-US teammates Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have been “hustled” after US Soccer agreed to a “pathetic” settlement over equal pay.
The US women’s national team launched their lawsuit in 2019 against US Soccer and sought £52.8m in damages, which was dismissed by a court in May 2020.
An appeal was later made against the aforementioned verdict, with US Soccer attempting to settle the dispute last September by offering identical contracts to the national teams for men and women.
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However, US Soccer and the US women’s team recently agreed to a landmark deal that would see the players receive £17.7m.
And the settlement also ensured that there would be equal pay between the national teams for men and women across all competitions, including the World Cup.
Solo, whose contract with the national team was terminated by US Soccer in 2016, initially took to Twitter and hit out at the “heartbreaking and infuriating” agreement.
The 40-year-old ex-US No 1 previously launched a scathing attack on Women’s Ballon d’Or winner Rapinoe for signing a “less-than-equal” collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
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Solo revealed she would launch her new podcast on SiriusXM, dubbed ‘Hope Solo Speaks,’ this month and spoke to ex-US teammate Carli Lloyd on the first episode.
The 2015 Women’s World Cup winner pulled no punches towards the likes of Rapinoe and Morgan over the settlement between US Soccer and the women’s team.
Speaking to Lloyd over the equal pay settlement, Solo insisted that she felt “betrayed and a bit hopeless” over the “pathetic” agreement.
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“The reason for my sadness, the reason I feel gutted, kicked in the stomach, the reason why I feel betrayed and a bit hopeless is because the settlement is pathetic,” she said.
“After fighting for years for equal pay starting in 2015, the players still went on and agreed to a less-than-equal CBA. They continued to believe in the promises of the [United States Soccer] Federation.
“They were outclassed, outmanoeuvred and then, finally, after pumping the brakes and doing a 180 in the fight of our life, they decided to show up to the party and they got hustled.”
Morgan, who has been an outspoken champion on equal pay in the sport alongside Rapinoe, believes that the settlement is a “monumental step forward” for the women’s team.
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“It is an incredible day,” she told Good Morning America.
The 32-year-old US striker added: “This is just such a monumental step forward in feeling valued, feeling respected and just mending our relationship with US Soccer that’s really been full of tension.
“It’s great to take that step forward. I not only see this as a win for our team or women in sport but for women in general.”
Featured Image Credit: Hope Solo Speaks/PATopics: Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, United States, Football
