The president of the U.S. Soccer Federation said Friday that he was “surprised” by the gender discrimination lawsuit filed last week by the U.S. women’s national team and that he has met with the team’s veteran players to attempt resolve the issue.
“I want to assure everyone in our soccer family that U.S. Soccer and its Women’s National Team players remain partners with shared goals and aspirations,” Carlos Cordeiro wrote in an open letter, his first public comment about the litigation. “For that reason, we are very optimistic as to what is possible, and our commitment to reaching a common ground is absolute.