Four years ago, as the final whistle went and the US Women’s National Soccer team were confirmed as World Champions for the fourth time, the thousands of raucous American voices present in Lyon’s Parc Olympique Lyonnais began to chant “equal pay, equal pay, equal pay”. The players dropped to their knees, overcome by raw emotion. They’d just won the World Cup and were overwhelmed by the crowd’s vocal display of support for their fight for gender and economic equality.
“We’ve come a long way since then,” says Alex Morgan reflecting on the progress that’s been since the Women’s World Cup in France. Four years on from that iconic moment in Lyon and the team have finally achieved their goal of equal pay. What’s more, in Australia and New Zealand, the squad are enjoying conditions and treatment that have been described by the players themselves as the “best ever”. It’s a testament to the good work the team has been doing on and off the pitch to grow the women’s game and simultaneously expose the inequalities in it.
USWNT Alex Morgan: I’m very optimistic with our chances with this roster
“We were fighting a legal battle off the field and trying to also win over the world on the field- win over the world’s hearts and minds and prove ourselves,” explains Morgan in the team’s latest press conference. “This time around we don’t have to worry about anything off the field. All we have to worry about is putting the work in from sunup to sundown to get our bodies and our minds right for the next game and that feels really good,” she says.
We were fighting a legal battle off the field and trying to also win over the world on the field
“US Soccer has done a great job in supporting us and that’s not the case with a lot of other federations around the world and we know that. So, we’ll continue to support all of the other players around the world who are fighting the battle that we fought for so long. We’re in a very, very good position right now. And so, it’s just about putting in the work,” concludes Morgan.
On a personal level, the striker’s personal life has also changed a lot. “I’m a mom, I wasn’t a mom back then,” says the soccer legend with a smile on her face. “So, I have a kid, but yeah, I think that I’m just in a very different place than I was four years ago. I feel like I’m a better footballer, a better teammate, a mom. And I just think that women’s soccer in general has grown so much in the last four years,” concludes Morgan.
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