Megan Rapinoe enjoys whirlwind, focuses on soccer pay fight

In this Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, photo soccer star Megan Rapie poses for photos on red carpet of Women's Sports Foundation's 40th annual Salute to Women in Sports in New York. Rapie, who was hored at gala, won Sportswoman of Year in team category. She led U.S. women's soccer team to victory at World Cup in France and earned FIFA Player of Year award.

Megan Rapie is enjoying whirlwind of a two-time World Cup winner. She picked up FIFA Player of Year award in Milan rocking a deeper she of lavender hair, sent off retiring U.S. coach Jill Ellis with an undefeated victory tour and kept up fight for pay equity against U.S. Soccer Federation.

“It’s very surreal to say least,” Rapie said. “Downtime? When I sleep, that’s my only rest time. It’s mostly good stuff, so hard to complain.”

Julie Foudy, a World Cup champion with U.S. in 1991 and ’99, calls Rapie “golden girl.” She won FIFA Golden Boot and Golden Ball for most goals and best player, respectively, after U.S. beat Nerlands 2-0 in July at World Cup in France.

w she’s winner of Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of Year award, presented at 40th annual event hosted by Billie Jean King on Wednesday night.

“y’re such a force in women’s sports and beyond,” Rapie said in a phone interview with Associated Press.

Rapie and her teammates were feted with a ticker-tape pare in New York after ir World Cup victory. She shared same float with U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro, basking in chants of “USA” and “Equal Pay.” U.S. women’s team sued federation in March for and pay discrimination.

At post-pare celebration at City Hall, Cordeiro said, “We believe at U.S. Soccer that all female athletes deserve fair and equitable pay.” However, so far two sides haven’t reached an agreement, with a May 5 trial date set in federal court in Los Angeles.

Rapie says re’s a “major discrepancy” in pay for accomplishing same success on field compared to U.S. men’s team. 34-year-old said she can’t understand why female athletes must fight ir soccer federation so hard for pay and benefits.

“I guess or than just t believing that we deserve it or t willing to pay,” she said. “I think it’s really counterintuitive, you have two really amazing products in both men’s and women’s teams that are both very successful by a lot of different metrics. It’s a huge growing business. Soccer in general is growing exponentially in country, so why t be able to lever your best assets inste of fighting m all time?”

U.S. Soccer has maintained that compensation for each team is result of separate collective bargaining agreements and pay structures are different as a result. federation has also said men generate more revenue than women.

However, that argument has been debated by women’s legal representatives, given women’s two consecutive World Cup titles and revenue generated from both victory tours.

U.S. capped its latest victory tour with a 1-1 tie against South Korea before a crowd of 33,027 at Soldier Field on Oct. 6. Rapie lofted a perfect pass on a corner kick to Carli Lloyd, whose heer tied match.

Rapie said it’s 50-50 on a settlement before trial date.

“I think it would probably be in everyone’s best interests t to drag this thing out or drag it through court, but that’s really up to m,” she said. “We deserve what is fair and right under law.”

Rapie received FIFA player of year award in Milan last month but didn’t get a chance to talk with FIFA President Gianni Infanti about ar pay gap — U.S. women’s team received $4 million for winning World Cup while French men’s team received $38 million in 2018.

Infanti has said FIFA’s total prize money for participating women’s teams will double from $30 million to $60 million at 2023 World Cup. men’s teams received $400 million in total prize money in 2018.

King kws something about a pay fight. She threatened a boycott of 1973 U.S. Open, reaching an agreement with a company to pay difference before tennis leers offered equal pay to winners.

“y’d be heroes if y did it,” King said of U.S. Soccer leership. “It’s right thing to do, right side of history.”

On Sunday, Rapie will be aiming for ar title when her club team, Reign FC, faces defending champion rth Carolina in a National Women’s Soccer League semifinal. final is Oct. 27.

next match for U.S. team is an exhibition against Sweden on v. 7 in Columbus, Ohio. New U.S. general manr Kate Markgraf, a former national player, wants to hire a replacement for Ellis by n. Rapie’s Reign coach Vlatko Andovski is among candidates.

Rapie believes women’s sports are “in a different place” since Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers and Foudy fought similar pay issues 20 years ago.

WNBA players’ union and WNBA, where Rapie’s partner Sue Bird is a star for Seattle Storm, are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement to improve ws. U.S. women’s hockey team threatened a boycott of 2017 World Championships to lever better salaries and benefits.

“This is -old tale,” Rapie said. “ powerful have always kept a lot of benefits of that power for mselves. With women in particular, you have Me Too movement, Times Up. A lot of sports leagues — yeah, people are sick of it. I think women in general just feel really empowered in this moment.”