Landon Donovan: USWNT ‘deserve to be treated fairly in all ways’

Landon Donovan sides with the USWNT in their wage dispute against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Former U.S. men’s national team captain Landon Donovan has backed the women’s national team in its wage dispute against U.S. Soccer, stating that the women's team should be treated fairly and compensated based on what it nets in revenue.

“USWNT absolutely deserve to be treated fairly in all ways,” Donovan wrote on Twitter. “Important to remember that these issues are/can be collectively bargained.”

“Both USMNT and USWNT should be paid commensurate w/ the revenues they produce, not based upon what the other makes,” Donovan added in another tweet.

Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint that accuses U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination in relation to the money the federation pays to the U.S. men’s national team. The complaint states that the USWNT is paid almost four times less than the USMNT, despite producing nearly $20 million in revenues for U.S. Soccer in 2015.

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Last month, U.S. Soccer sued the women’s national team players union over labor agreement dispute.

U.S. Soccer issued the following statement on Thursday:

“We understand the Women’s National Team Players Association is filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against U.S. Soccer. While we have not seen this complaint and can’t comment on the specifics of it, we are disappointed about this action. We have been a world leader in women’s soccer and are proud of the commitment we have made to building the women’s game in the United States over the past 30 years.”