US Soccer, women's team tentatively agree to mediate lawsuit

A total of 28 players from the United States women's national team filed a lawsuit in federal court in March seeking equal pay, accusing the governing body of "institutionalised gender discrimination.

The United States women's national football team is a three-time World Cup winner (file photo).

United States Soccer Federation and players of the US women's national team have tentatively agreed to mediate a lawsuit that accuses the federation of gender discrimination and seeks equitable pay.

The federation and representatives for the players confirmed the agreement, first reported in the Wall Street Journal, to pursue mediation following the Women's World Cup.

Twenty-eight members of the current player pool filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in March. The lawsuit alleges "institutionalized gender discrimination" that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men's national team.

The federation has maintained the differences in pay are the result of different collective bargaining agreements that establish distinct pay structures for the two teams.

Those agreements are not public. Court documents said decisions surrounding the teams have been made for "legitimate business reasons and not for any discriminatory or other unlawful purpose."