The Olympic Games warm-up friendly comes as the American players continue to make their case for equal pay. They plan on wearing T-shirts with the hashtag slogan "Equal Play Equal Pay" during media appearances before the game.
In an interview with the New York Times, Megan Rapinoe, who is returning from knee surgery in December and resumed full practice in Chicago, expressed frustration about a lack of progress in talks on a new collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s quite frustrating to know that he’s making comments that he wants to get a deal done, but he hasn’t come to one meeting,” Rapinoe said of U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati.
“I’ve been to three meetings, flown six hours across the country and interrupted my rehab to come to New York, where he lives. And he can’t come to one meeting.”
Gulati, who had negotiated the agreement currently in force, told the Times the federation was focused on "getting an equitable deal in place for after the CBA expires.”
A Federal judge recently ruled that the current CBA (collective bargaining agreement) doesn't expire until the end of the year, decreasing the leverage the women had before the Olympics.
Separately, Rapinoe joined Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn and Hope Solo in filing a wage discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.