U.S. Soccer Federation 'Surprised' By Women's National Team Lawsuit Over Gender Discrimination

The U.S. Soccer Federation have defended their treatment of the World Cup-winning women's national team following the filing of a lawsuit over gender discrimination.

All 28 members of the USWNT were named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit which was filed in Los Angeles on International Women’s Day last week.

The lawsuit accuses the governing body of 'institutionalised gender discrimination' surrounding issues such as equal pay and poor working conditions.

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But that federation president Carlos Cordeiro said everything was being done to give all female athletes 'fair and equitable pay', defending their treatment of the women's national team in recent years.

"We have added additional technical and high-performance staff focused only on the USWNT, provided additional charter flights to improve travel, and created two elite women’s international tournaments to provide high-level competition in the United States, among other efforts to support the team," Cordeiro said in an open letter, quoted by Reuters.

"We also continue to expand our investment in female player development programs, including our eight Youth National Team programs and the Girl’s Development Academy.

"In April of 2017, we agreed to a fair and equitable collective bargaining agreement with the Women’s National Team, which included a contract structure that the players specifically requested to provide them with a guaranteed salary and benefits.

"At no point since that time have players raised concerns about the CBA itself, and we continue to work with them in good faith."

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Reuters adds that the federation, who have already held a meeting with some players, were 'surprised' a lawsuit had been filed.

The USWNT will be looking to defend their crown as world champions in a few months at the next tournament in France this summer.