Alex Morgan says US team ‘are liberated’ after winning equal pay battle

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Alex Morgan, aged 34, expressed on Tuesday that her United States team feels a sense of freedom after successfully achieving equal pay.

With this issue resolved, they can now fully concentrate on their goal of winning an unprecedented third consecutive Women’s World Cup title. 

As a prominent figure in women’s football, Morgan also wishes for other national teams to eventually triumph in their own fights for fair compensation.

“Any time you take your focus off playing and what your job is, that is distractions that are unnecessary,” the forward told reporters in Auckland.

“So not having distractions like having to fight for equal pay and working conditions moving forward, at all, ever again, it feels really good.”

“I hope that will soon be the case for all of the players around the world at international level.”

The US team, headed by their most well-known players such as Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd lodged a complaint a few years ago against the US Soccer Federation, claiming unfair pay treatment. 

Their battle ultimately resulted in a significant collective bargaining agreement, which was announced in May 2022 and ensured that the prize money for the World Cup would be evenly split between the US men’s and women’s teams.

The prize money for the Women’s World Cup is not equal to that of the men’s tournament. The total prize pool for the upcoming tournament in Australia and New Zealand is $152 million, which is three times higher than the amount four years ago. In comparison, the men’s tournament in Qatar last year had a prize pool of $440 million, and the United States men’s team received $13 million for reaching the last 16. 

Many other women’s national teams are also advocating for equal treatment, as seen with the Canadian team threatening to go on strike earlier this year due to disputes over pay, funding, and contractual matters.

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