US women could strike in fight for equality

The US women's football team have vowed to take their case for equal pay and conditions as far as it takes.

Carli Lloyd and team-mates Becky Sauerbrunn, Morgan Brian and Christen Press warned a strike was possible unless their pay and conditions were brought in line with their male counterparts when they appeared on CBS show 60 minutes.

"It would be a discussion that we would have to have," US captain and defender Sauerbrunn said.

Lloyd, who scored a hat-trick against Japan to help secure a 5-2 win in last year's Women's World Cup final at Vancouver, said their fight for equality was important to women around the world and beyond football or sports.

"This is history-making what we're doing, what we're fighting for," Lloyd said. "It not only resonates with this team and with generations to come, but it's global as well."

Asked how far they were willing to carry the fight for equal support from US Soccer, Lloyd added: "Until we get what we want."

The US women's team are three-time winners of the World Cup and they have also won four gold medals and a silver at the Olympics, while the men's team have never won a major tournament, with a semi-final appearance at the 1930 World Cup their best performance to date.

A recent report revealed the US soccer will make a profit of around $5m for US women's ticket sales while the men will lose about $1m.

The women have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is looking into differences in support for the US men's and women's teams not only in salary but also playing conditions, equipment and travel

"We wanted to put pressure on them, and so with the EEOC complaint, it's seemed like a no brainer for us," Sauerbrunn said.

The women accuse US Soccer of violating equal pay and sex discrimination laws. The commission has the power to award damages or issue rights for workers to sue but it could also do nothing at all.

The New York Times recently highlighted the fact that a player in the men's team receives $17,625 for a friendly win and $5,000 for a defeat, while their female counterpart gets just $1,350 for a victory and nothing for a loss.

US women fly economy, while the men's team has first class plane tickets in their contract with US Soccer.

"To be able to perform like we do and to be the best in the world, we should be treated the same as them," Brian said.

The US Soccer Federation, in a statement to CBS, said they "are actively working to reach a new agreement with the women's team."

"They are looking backwards, you know?" said Sauerbrunn.

"We're looking to go forwards from now on and we've shown - and they've projected in their own financials - that we're going to make them money. So it's, I think, unfair to pay us less based on performances in the past."