US Women's National Soccer Team

Coming off a draw in its opening game of the 2022 SheBelieves Cup, the United States women's national team had no problems in a 5-0 win over New Zealand on Sunday. 

New Zealand did everything in its power to make things easy on Team USA. Meikayla Moore scored a hat trick of own goals in the first half, including two in the first six minutes of the game, to put her squad in a hole it couldn't dig out of. 

.@schuerta + @100Purcent wreak havoc to double the lead! 🇺🇸#SheBelievesCup x @Visa pic.twitter.com/pR3mLaLzg4

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 20, 2022

The third own goal came in the 36th minute when Margaret Purce was attempting to pass the ball to Catarina Macario, but Moore got her left foot out to deflect the ball past goalkeeper Erin Nayler. 

name's Purce, because @100Purcent is always in her bag 👜 pic.twitter.com/GAss2w9txG

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 20, 2022

New Zealand head coach Jitka Klimkova then subbed Moore out of the game for Rebekah Stott. 

At the time it took a 3-0 lead, the U.S. only had one shot on goal. 

If you don’t feel for Meikayla Moore right now then you don’t have a heart. Painful. #USWNT #USAvNZ

— Dana Fowle Fox 5 (@danafowlefox5) February 20, 2022

Meikayla Moore will bounce back. Playing against the best team on the planet, who are delivering UNREAL balls into the box.

For all the keyboard warriors giving her a bit of shit, get back in your mums basement.

She’s doing things that 99.9% could only dream about! Good player!

— Scott Parkinson (@parkinson_scott) February 20, 2022

The Americans didn't score their first goal against Nayler until the 51st minute. Ashley Hatch, who subbed in for Macario to start the second half, used her head on a pass from Sofia Huerta to put the U.S. up 4-0 in the 51st minute. 

.@ash_hatch33 wastes no time after subbing on to make it 4-0 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lMOyrsiBHi

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 20, 2022

She makes an instant impact...@ash_hatch33's last 3 caps:

Nov. 27 — Scores 24 seconds after kickoff

Nov. 30 — Scores 3:16 after kickoff

Feb. 20 - Scores 5:12 after entering match pic.twitter.com/EBh4NezCRN

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 20, 2022

Mallory Pugh put the cherry on top of the victory with a goal in the 93rd minute. It's her 19th goal in 69 career appearances for the national team. It was also her first goal in international competition since Oct. 3, 2019, against South Korea. 

The goals for Hatch and Pugh were two of only four shots on goal for Team USA, though they did finish with 19 shots total.

There was a moment of concern for the United States midway through the second half. Trinity Rodman was limping and had to be helped up in the 62nd minute when Ria Percival clipped her leg.

However, Rodman remained on the pitch until the 82nd minute. The 19-year-old managed to get a shot off in the 71st minute, but her attempt from the left box was blocked. 

The USWNT's defense has been fantastic through two games in the tournament. The Americans have allowed a combined 12 shots (two on goal) against the Czech Republic and New Zealand.

Team USA head coach Vlatko Andonovski is using the SheBelieves Cup to evaluate the roster for the future. Stars like Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Christen Press and Sam Mewis aren't with the squad.

Rodman, Alana Cook, Sophia Smith and Ashley Sanchez are expected to be the key players for women's soccer in America for years to come. Their performance on this stage is a good first test to see where they are and what they have to work on. 

The United States moved into first place in the tournament standings with Sunday's win. It has four total points and a plus-five goal differential through two games. 

Iceland (1-0-0) can move ahead of the U.S. with a win over Czech Republic in the second match of the day.

---

What's Next?

The USWNT will play Iceland in the final game of the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.  

As the United States women's national team looks toward the future, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan won't be on the squad for the SheBelieves Cup. 

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski named Sophia Smith and Ashley Sanchez to the roster for the upcoming tournament: 

Squad ready ≫ https://t.co/jAf7XIBeiP
#SheBelievesCup x @Visa https://t.co/Zf3G6uSvn5 pic.twitter.com/uDeAaWdgvl

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) February 3, 2022

Trinity Rodman, the 19-year-old who signed the richest contract in National Women's Soccer League history (four years, $1.1 million) with the Washington Spirit, also isn't on the roster. 

The decision to not include Rapinoe and Morgan doesn't come as a total surprise. 

Andonovski didn't include Rapinoe, Morgan, Christen Press and Tobin Heath on the team's camp roster last month because they have long established their credentials. 

Speaking to Jeff Kassouf of The Equalizer in November, Andonovski explained he wanted to use the run up to the 2023 World Cup qualifiers as a way to find the next wave of stars who can lead the American squad. 

"In the next chapter up until the qualifiers, the main goal is to identify the players that we believe will help us in the qualifiers, first and foremost, and then will hopefully help us in the World Cup," he said. 

More than half of the 22-woman roster who played in two friendlies against Australia in November weren't on the Olympic squad that won the bronze medal in Tokyo over the summer. 

Carli Lloyd, who had been on the U.S. team since 2005, announced her retirement from national competition after the Olympics. Rapinoe said after the United States' bronze-medal win at the 2020 Games she is considering retirement, but has yet to make a final decision.

Per ESPN's Caitlin Murray, 11 players on the SheBelieves Cup roster have 25 or fewer caps in their careers. 

Murray noted that Rodman is with the team as a training player leading up to the start of the SheBelieves Cup. 

This will mark the seventh year of the SheBelieves Cup. Team USA has won this tournament in four of the past six years, including back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021. 

The 2022 SheBelieves Cup will run from Feb. 17-23. The United States will be competing in the round-robin tournament against Iceland, New Zealand and the Czech Republic.    

The United States women's national team included Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman among its 25-player roster for this month's training camp.

The full breakdown » https://t.co/aaMWAEDddw#USWNT x @BioSteelSports https://t.co/HckfZF0nOz pic.twitter.com/ckQtNiFOZ0

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 12, 2022

The 19-year-old, who's the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, is the only first-time call-up for coach Vlatko Andonovski. She has represented the U.S. at the under-17 and under-20 levels.

Rodman's ascension to the senior team was inevitable.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL draft, she had seven goals and seven assists in 25 appearances in her debut season. In addition to winning Rookie of the Year, she was selected in the league's best XI.

This season's best 🤩

Your @Mastercard Best XI's for 2021 ⤵️

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 17, 2021

The USWNT has relied upon the same core of veteran stars to lead the attack for a number of years.

That will lead to an inevitable transition period as those players near the end of their national team careers. Carli Lloyd has already retired, while the quartet of Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press are all 32 or older.

The January training camp allows Andonovski to see who might be leading the line at the 2023 Women's World Cup and beyond. Of the six forwards in the squad, Mallory Pugh and Lynn Williams are the only two with more than 10 caps.

"Without any matches that we need to taper for, we can get in some more intense trainings and full-field scrimmages, which is great as we need to give this group as many chances as possible to play together in a National Team environment," Andonovski of Wednesday's announcement.

After her electrifying debut season in the NWSL, Rodman appears to have a bright future and figures to be a vital player for the USWNT in a few years.

The United States Women's National Soccer Team played Australia to a 1-1 draw Tuesday in a friendly at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia.

The match was the USWNT's final one of 2021, and it saw Australia bounce back from a 3-0 loss suffered at the hands of the Americans on Friday.

Team USA seemed poised for another convincing victory Tuesday, as Ashley Hatch scored in the fourth minute to give the USWNT a 1-0 lead:

Who else but @ash_hatch33? pic.twitter.com/2rw6AeyhYQ

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) November 30, 2021

The United States kept knocking on the door throughout and largely carried the play with 16 shots toward the net and seven shots on goal compared to just eight overall shots and two shots on frame for Australia.

The Matildas managed to hang in there long enough to net an equalizer, however, as a shot by Kyah Simon in the 88th minute deflected off Team USA's Becky Sauerbrunn and past goalkeeper Casey Murphy, much to the delight of the crowd:

.@KyahSimon at the DEATH! NEVER. SAY. DIE.

🎥: @10FootballAU #AUSvUSA #WeAreMatildas pic.twitter.com/e4450VIiYI

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) November 30, 2021

Despite how late Simon's game-tying goal was scored, the USWNT nearly managed to steal the match in stoppage time when Lindsey Horan put the ball in the back of the net. However, she was ruled to be offside:

juuuusssstt offside 😞 pic.twitter.com/ERkaQ25owC

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) November 30, 2021

While the United States had no shortage of talent in the lineup Tuesday, the Americans were still without many of their biggest stars.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Christen Press were just a few of the players who weren't available against Australia.

With the draw, the USWNT extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches. Its most recent loss came in the semifinals of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo against Canada by a 1-0 score.

The United States went on to beat Australia 4-3 to win the bronze medal, though, and the Americans now own a 2-0-2 record over the Aussies this year.

Overall, the USWNT went 18-2-4 in 2021, earning an Olympic bronze medal and winning the SheBelieves Cup for the second year in a row and fourth time in six years.

Team USA has no matches scheduled for 2022 as of yet, but preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will begin to ramp up during the new year.

The United States women's national team sent Carli Lloyd off in style.

The reigning world champions earned a 6-0 victory over South Korea on Tuesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was Lloyd's final match with the USWNT as she heads into retirement following the NWSL season.

One for the record books 🏆⚽️🇺🇸#ThankYouCarli pic.twitter.com/dF2U7ZDk7z

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 26, 2021

The 39-year-old and her family were visibly emotional prior to kick-off.

All of the emotions 🥺 pic.twitter.com/BjevG8dRrg

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 27, 2021

Once the referee blew the opening whistle, though, it was back to business for Lloyd and her teammates.

Lindsey Horan put the USWNT ahead 1-0 in the ninth minute. Her shot took a deflection off Hong Hye-ji and wrong-footed South Korean goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi.

The United States benefited from more good fortune in the 45th minute to double its advantage. Andi Sullivan's header from a corner kick bounced off Cho So-hyun and into the back of the net. The South Korean midfielder was credited with an own goal.

Lloyd was unable to score on her big night, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. She let loose with a shot from just outside the 18-yard box in the 27th minute. Kim made a diving save.

The first real chance for @CarliLloyd is saved by the keeper! pic.twitter.com/tmUDWrDVhH

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 27, 2021

The two-time FIFA World Player of the Year was subbed off for Alex Morgan in the 66th minute, allowing her to receive a standing ovation from the St. Paul crowd.

Lloyd's replacement, Alex Morgan, made an immediate impact. Morgan notched the United States' third goal in the 69th minute, slotting a low shot between Kim's legs.

Megan Rapinoe added a fourth in the 85th minute with a powerful half-volley from inside the box that caromed in off the crossbar.

RAPINOE 🇺🇸@mPinoe makes it 4-0 for the @USWNT pic.twitter.com/mZPRfvirh5

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 27, 2021

Rose Lavelle piled on the misery for the USWNT's opponent four minutes later, only for Lynn Williams to tack on another in injury time.

South Korea held the USWNT to a 0-0 draw when the teams met less than one week ago. Vlatko Andonovski had 68 percent of possession and eight shots on target but couldn't find a breakthrough.

A victory Tuesday wasn't a foregone conclusion.

But improving upon the previous result and wanting to give Lloyd a proper farewell provided ample motivation for the players at Allianz Field. Lloyd walking off into the sunset after a draw or defeat would've felt somewhat deflating.

Instead, the USWNT closed the book on a legendary career in emphatic fashion.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has presented a contract proposal that would see members of the men's and women's national teams covered under the same collective bargaining agreement.

The Athletic shared a statement from the federation about the plan:

This proposal will ensure that USWNT and USMNT players remain among the highest-paid senior national team players in the world, while providing a revenue sharing structure that would allow all parties to begin anew and share collectively in the opportunity that combined investment in the future of U.S. Soccer will deliver over the course of a new CBA.

Under the structure, the USMNT and USWNT would have identical contracts.

Last week, U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone published an open letter about the ongoing CBA negotiations and signaled a desire to offer equal terms to the men's and women's teams:

We are making important progress, but are also nearing a critical inflection point. I think it is important for you, as our fans, to know that U.S. Soccer will be offering the Men’s National Team and the Women’s National Team the exact same contract, just as we have in past negotiations. In no uncertain terms, that means offering CBAs that include equalized FIFA World Cup prize money, identical game bonuses and identical commercial and revenue sharing agreements – for both the men’s and women’s national teams.

Parlow Cone acknowledged the national federation is at the mercy of FIFA in terms of the prize money it receives from the men's and women's World Cup. To that end, she asked the respective players' unions to work toward an agreement that will evenly distribute those funds.

The financial gap between the two events is substantial.

France collected $38 million from the $400 million prize pool distributed at the 2018 World Cup. The earnings for Les Bleus exceeded the entirety of the sum ($30 million) awarded for the 2019 Women's World Cup. As the winners, players from the United States received $4 million. 

Their victory came months after a group of players filed a gender discrimination suit against U.S. Soccer. That followed the filing of a legal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in March 2016.

Members of the USWNT said they didn't receive the same working conditions or compensation compared to their male peers.

With the litigation ongoing, U.S. Soccer received criticism for a line of argument it used in a motion it filed in court: "The overall soccer-playing ability required to compete at the senior men's national team level is materially influenced by the level of certain physical attributes, such as speed and strength, required for the job."

Carlos Cordeiro resigned amid the outcry, with Parlow Cone taking over in March 2020 as president.

In December 2020, the USWNT and U.S. Soccer settled their case regarding working conditions. However, the USWNT in July appealed a judge's ruling dismissing their equal pay lawsuit.

Parlow Cone said that achieving a resolution "continues to be among our top priorities."

The United States women's national soccer team suffered its first loss to Canada in 20 years on Monday morning. 

The loss took the Americans out of gold-medal contention at the Tokyo Olympics. They will play Australia for the bronze medal. 

Canada, who won back-to-back bronze medals, will take on Sweden for first place in the tournament. Both squads will be after their first-ever gold medal in women's soccer. 

Sweden made the gold-medal match five years ago in Rio de Janeiro, but it came up short against Germany.

The Swedes produced their fifth victory in five games in the second semifinal against Australia thanks to an early goal in the second half. 

       

Canada 1, United States 0

Canada finally got the best of its biggest rival after a 20-year wait. 

The Canadians used a 75th-minute penalty from Jessie Fleming to earn the advantage over the USWNT that would put them into the gold-medal match. 

Canada was awarded the penalty after a VAR review revealed that USWNT defender Tierna Davidson made contact with Deanne Rose's leg while going for a ball on the right side of the box. 

Fleming stepped up to the spot after the review and sent her penalty into the upper corner of the net past Adrianna Franch.

Canada converts the penalty to take the lead. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/r856yMXjIb

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2021

Franch was in net for the USWNT because starter Alyssa Naeher suffered a leg injury in the first half. Naeher went up in the air for a ball, collided with Julie Ertz and landed awkwardly on her leg. Naeher was seen on crutches at the end of the match. 

The USWNT looked disjointed in attack for a majority of the contest. It created few significant chances that tested Stephanie Labbe. The Canadian goalkeeper's biggest save came on a headed attempt from Carli Lloyd in the 86th minute. 

Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT attempted 13 shots, but only four of them went on frame. That low total came in a match in which it took 12 corner kicks. 

Megan Rapinoe said after the match that the USWNT just did not have enough to earn a result on Monday, per ESPN.com.

"That's football. They got, I think, one shot on goal, a PK, and from what it sounds like it was a PK. So yeah, it's a bitter one to swallow. Obviously, we never want to lose to Canada. I don't think I've ever lost to Canada," Rapinoe said. 

"So it's a bitter one. Obviously there's still a lot to compete for. That's what I told the girls and what we talked about in the huddle. It's not the color we want, but there's still a medal on the line. That's a huge thing and we want to win that game, but yeah, this is ... this sucks. It sucks."

The United States will go for its sixth-ever medal in seven Olympic women's soccer tournaments in the bronze-medal match versus Australia.

         

Sweden 1, Australia 0

Sweden continued its perfect run through the Olympic tournament with a one-goal victory over Australia. 

Fridolina Rolfo provided the lone goal of the contest in the 46th minute at the end of a frenetic sequence near the left post. 

The initial ball played in from outside the box bounced off the top of the bar and landed with Stina Blackstenius. 

Blackstenius dropped the ball back to Rolfo, who had a better angle to shoot on the net. Rolfo struck the back of the net for what turned out to be the lone goal of the match.

Sweden's 1-0 win was the opposite result of the first match played between the two nations in the group stage. Sweden won that matchup by a 4-2 scoreline. 

Sweden has been the best overall team in the Olympic tournament. It swept through its group-stage games with nine points, beat Japan convincingly in the quarterfinal and knocked out Australia in the semifinal round. 

The Swedes have one medal at the Olympics since the women's soccer tournament started in 1996. They took silver in 2016. They finished fourth after a loss in the bronze-medal match to Germany in 2004.   

The United States women's national team will play for the bronze medal after Canada earned a stunning 1-0 upset over the international powerhouse in Monday's Olympic semifinal.

The match was scoreless until Jessie Fleming scored a penalty for Canada in the 75th minute:

Canada converts the penalty to take the lead. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/r856yMXjIb

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2021

The shot was just out of reach of backup goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, resulting in the only score of the match. Starting goalie Alyssa Naeher, who was the hero during the quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, was forced to leave with an injury in the 30th minute.

Canada held on for the win and will face Sweden in the final for a chance at its first gold medal in women's soccer. Sweden beat Australia in the other semifinal match Monday.

The upset win was a breakthrough for Canada, which has earned bronze in the last two Olympics:

Canada beats the USWNT for the first time since 2001, ending a 36-game winless streak. 🇨🇦

Canada had never before beaten the U.S. in a competitive (non-friendly) match.

— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) August 2, 2021

A gold medal would be the biggest moment in program history, while Christine Sinclair could add another achievement after already ranking as the top international goalscorer in history. The 38-year-old played 87 minutes in Monday's win.

The United States, meanwhile, was unable to build on its 2019 World Cup win with another major trophy.

The Americans had plenty of chances to score, outshooting Canada 17-5 in the match, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. They simply weren't able to get anything into the back of the net, even after adding key subs Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press in the 60th minute.

It continued an up-and-down run of matches in Tokyo that featured just one win in 90 minutes. The USWNT also had one loss and one draw in group play before surviving the quarterfinal on penalty kicks.

"Obviously, our standards are perfection all the time, so we really never reached that, and we wanted the gold medal but we have a ton to still perform for," Rapinoe said after the match.

The team will now compete for the bronze Thursday against Australia. After finishing in just fifth place at the 2016 Olympics, the United States will try to win its first soccer medal since 2012.

The United States women's national team played to a draw with Australia on Tuesday to conclude its group-stage play at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 0-0 draw secured a second-place finish in Group G for the USWNT and set up a rematch of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup final with the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. 

The Dutch blew past China to finish on top of Group F and produce one of the most anticipated matches in recent Olympic soccer tournaments. 

Brazil, Great Britain, Canada and Sweden all advanced to the final eight by finishing in the top two of their respective groups. Japan and Australia moved on as the two best third-place teams. 

           

Tuesday Olympic Soccer Results

Women's Soccer

Group E 

Canada 1, Great Britain 1

Japan 1, Chile 0

    

Group F

Netherlands 8, China 2

Brazil 1, Zambia 0

    

Group G

Sweden 2, New Zealand 0

United States 0, Australia 0

     

Recaps

United States 0, Australia 0

The USWNT did what was required to finish in second place in Group G.

However, the performance did not inspire a ton of confidence about the team's prospects of winning the gold medal. In fact, you could make the case the Americans are more likely to be eliminated at the quarterfinal stage for the second straight Olympics. 

The USWNT put four of its seven shots on frame, but none of them found the back of the net.

The Americans had one goal called back after a VAR review in the first half. Alex Morgan was ruled offside in a tight decision made by the replay officials.

Vlatko Andonovski's side has now failed to score in two of its three Group G matches. It put six goals past New Zealand, which was one of four squads that failed to make it to the final eight. 

Forward Alex Morgan noted the team implemented a more defensive-minded approach to secure passage into the final eight, per ESPN.com.

"This [knockout stage] is when the tournament starts," Morgan said. "It was a tactical decision by [coach Vlatko Andonovski] to shift defensively, a little more conservatively, and really allow them to get impatient, play along and give it back to us." 

The Americans held the Matildas to two shots on target over 90 minutes. While the clean sheet is nice, the USWNT needs to be much better as a unit to get past the Netherlands. 

In the group stage, the Dutch scored 21 goals, while the USWNT recorded just 14 shots on target. Most of the Dutch goals came against weaker opposition, but that number is still stunning.

Australia has a meeting with Great Britain on the top half of the bracket. 

          

Netherlands 8, China 2

The Netherlands' scoring machine rolled into International Stadium Yokohama and stormed past China. 

The Dutch women left no doubt about finishing on top of Group F as they put eight goals past the Chinese. Golden Boot leader Vivienne Miedema produced two of the eight tallies on Tuesday in the 65th and 76th minutes. 

The Netherlands went into the half with a 3-1 advantage thanks to a goal from Shanice van de Sanden and two out of Lineth Beerensteyn. The attacking onslaught extended into the opening part of the second half with five goals between the 47th and 76th minutes. 

Given the form the Netherlands is in, it has to viewed as at least a slight favorite to win the quarterfinal.

The USWNT is capable of slowing down the Dutch. In fact, it did so in the 2019 Women's World Cup final, but the two sides are in much different form than they were in France two years ago. 

For the USWNT to beat the Netherlands, it needs to produce a much better overall performance to counter and contain an attack that is on fire. 

Current and former players for the United States women's national soccer team have appealed a 2020 decision regarding its equal pay lawsuit. 

Homero De la Fuente and David Close of CNN explained that Judge Gary Klausner ruled in May 2020 that the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) did not financially discriminate against the women's team despite the players' allegations that it does.

Friday's appeal said that decision "defies reality" and is "legally wrong" because it is "based on a flawed analysis of the team's compensation, despite the abundant evidence of unequal pay."

The players also denied they were offered the same collective bargaining agreement (CBA) as the men's team even though Klausner argued they played more games and made more money while rejecting the CBA that offered the same pay structure.

The appeal was filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"If a woman has to work more than a man and be much more successful than him to earn about the same pay, that is decidedly not equal pay and it violates the law," player spokesperson Molly Levinson said Friday.

"And yet, that is exactly what the women players on the U.S. National team do—they play more games and achieve better results in order to be paid about the same amount as the men's national team players per game. By any measure, that is not equal pay, and it violates federal law."

The USSF responded to the appeal and said the organization is "committed to equal pay and ensuring that our Women's National Team remains the best in the world" while hoping to resolve the concerns away from the court system.

U.S. Soccer Statement on Appeal Filed by USWNT pic.twitter.com/QTrCMxliEK

— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) July 23, 2021

The response also said the previous ruling "correctly held that the Women's National Team was paid more both cumulatively and on an average per-game basis than the Men's National Team."

The United States women's team was widely seen as the gold-medal favorites coming into the Tokyo Olympics, but it lost a 3-0 stunner to Sweden in its opener.

It will look to bounce back in Saturday's game against New Zealand.