MEGAN RAPINOE

Forward Sophia Smith is still nursing a foot injury and won't play in the Americans' upcoming three matches against Canada, Japan and Brazil.

USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Sophia Smith will be out injured for the upcoming friendlies vs. New Zealand.

The House has passed a bill that ensures equal compensation for U.S. women competing in international events.

While the men's World Cup is about to wrap up, the Women's World Cup is right around the corner with a new generation of talent ready to grab the trophy.

From an expanded field to a farewell to superstars to a welcoming of the next generation, this Women's World Cup promises to pack plenty of intrigue.

The U.S. women's national soccer team was on the wrong side of history after their loss to Germany on Thursday, as it was their third straight for the first time since the early 1990s.

The United States women lost again, falling 2-1 to Germany for their first three-game skid since 1993 and first home defeat in more than five years.

It seems that after every Women’s World Cup that the United States Women’s National Team wins (USWNT for short), there will be a boom in the sport.

"It's such a proud moment for all of us," Megan Rapinoe said. "...That same 'never say die' attitude we had on the field, that's the same vibe we brought to this."

Sue Bird just knows how to win.

The proposed $24 million settlement between U.S. women soccer players and the sport’s American governing body was given preliminary approval by a federal judge.

The latest Russian court hearing in the drug trial of American basketball star Brittney Griner has focused on testimony about countries that regard cannabis as having legitimate medicinal uses.

The U.S. women's national soccer team has a new look with young talent, and coach Vlatko Andonovski has tweaked its traditional straightforward and speedy attack to take a more nuanced approach.

The star athletes encouraged the sports community to continue speaking out on Griner's...

Soccer's Megan Rapinoe, the NBA's Steph Curry and others implored their fellow athletes to step up efforts to get Moscow to let the WNBA superstar go home.

Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner was front and center at The ESPYS.

"Who is Jenna Ellis? Asking for everyone," Simone Biles tweeted in response to criticisms from Ellis, a Trump lawyer that called Biles a "loser."

Twitter users quickly noted that Biles and Rapinoe each have a boatload of achievements, while Ellis has a series of election suit losses.

Sophia Smith scored twice in the opening minutes and the U.S. women’s national team edged closer to a spot in the 2023 World Cup with a 5-0 victory over Jamaica on Thursday in the CONCACAF W Championship.

While accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the pink-haired soccer icon wore a coat with BG — the initials of the WNBA star detained in Russia — sewn into the lapel.

The 17 recipients include athletes, artists, and leaders of the civil rights and labor movements.

President Joe Biden has presented the nation's highest civilian honor to 17 people, including gymnast Simone Biles and the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain.

President Joe Biden has presented the nation's highest civilian honor to 17 people, including gymnast Simone Biles and the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain.

President Biden is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 17 people, including Simone Biles, Denzel Washington, Gabby Giffords and, posthumously, inventor Steve Jobs and John McCain.

Alex Morgan scored a pair of first-half goals and the U.S. women’s national team defeated Haiti 3-0 on Monday in the opening match of the CONCACAF W Championship.

Megan Rapinoe’s on-field role on the U.S. national team is changing as the team looks to qualify for the 2023 event.

President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, to 17 athletes, activists, sports stars, business leaders and politicians.

The White House says President Joe Biden will present the nation's highest civilian honor to 17 people, including gymnast Simone Biles, actor Denzel Washington and the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, with whom Biden served in the Senate.

The White House says President Joe Biden will present the nation's highest civilian honor to 17 people, including gymnast Simone Biles, actor Denzel Washington and the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, with whom Biden served in the Senate.

Sophia Smith scored twice in the second half and the U.S. women’s national team beat Colombia 3-0 on Saturday night to extend its home unbeaten streak to 68 games.

U.S. national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe is among a group of leading sports figures who have expressed anger over the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion, decrying an erosion of rights that women have had for a generation.

Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan have been included on the U.S. national soccer team roster for the upcoming CONCACAF W Championship, which will determine four of the region’s teams in the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The U.S. women's national team's efforts to secure equitable pay finally came to fruition this week when the players reached a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer that gives them the same pay as their male counterparts.

U.S. Soccer's agreement with its men's and women's national teams for equal pay has its roots in the past while it looks toward the future.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has reached milestone agreements to pay its men’s and women’s teams equally.

President Joe Biden marked Equal Pay Day by spotlighting new steps aimed at closing the gender pay gap for federal workers and contractors.

Thirty-nine players on the women's national team endorsed Cindy Parlow Cone for a full four-year term as U.S. Soccer Federation president, a decision Friday that followed the settlement of six years of litigation between the players and the governing body. Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, among the leaders of the lawsuit, gave their endorsement to Cone a day before the vote by the USSF National Council. Cone is being challenged by her predecessor, Carlos Cordeiro, who was elected to a four-year term in 2018, then resigned in March 2020 after the organization sparked a backlash when its legal papers claimed the women had less physical ability and responsibility than their male counterparts.

Catarina Macario and Mallory Pugh each scored two goals and the U.S. women’s national team beat Iceland 5-0 on Wednesday night to win the SheBelieves Cup.

The settlement is contingent on the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement for USWNT and U.S. Soccer, which could take months.

The settlement includes backpay for previous World Cup prize money.

The settlement includes backpay for previous World Cup prize money.

The U.S. Soccer Federation committed to providing an equal rate of pay for the women's and men's national teams.

U.S. women soccer players have reached a landmark agreement with the sport’s American governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay.

Meikayla Moore scored a hat trick against the U.S. — of own goals.

Carlos Cordeiro is running to regain his job as U.S. Soccer Federation president, two years after he quit amid a backlash to the group’s lawyers filing legal papers claiming the women’s national team players had less physical ability and responsibility than their male counterparts.

The U.S. women sent Carli Lloyd into retirement with a 6-0 rout of South Korea.

Carli Lloyd scored a career-high five goals and the United States routed Paraguay 9-0 on Thursday in the national team’s first game since the Olympics.

The U.S. Soccer Federation says it has offered identical contract proposals to the players’ associations for the men’s and women’s national teams, and the governing body said it would refuse to agree to a deal in which World Cup prize money is not equalized.

There were enough tennis stars inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art at Monday's Met Gala, it seemed, to play a tournament.

President Joe Biden has honored the 2020 WNBA champions Seattle Storm at the White House.

Hope Solo, the former goalkeeper for the U.S. women's soccer team, said Megan Rapinoe has "almost" bullied teammates into kneeling in the name of activism.

Megan Rapinoe is such a fan of #MeToo pioneer Tarana Burke that the soccer star chose Burke's upcoming memoir, “Unbound,” for her new online book club before she had even read it.

Subway franchisees are in discussions to drop Team USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe from a new ad amid her National Anthem protests at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Watch the best shots, moves, tricks and plays of the Tokyo Olympics.

Sue Bird capped off her unblemished 17-year Olympics run with a record fifth gold medal.

In social media posts, H. Scott Apley repeatedly questioned the need for vaccines and masks, along with ridiculing transgender people, Demi Lovato, Megan Rapinoe, and others.

The reigning World Cup champions were led by Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd, who had two goals each.

Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd each scored a pair of goals and the United States won the bronze medal in women’s soccer at the Tokyo Olympics with a 4-3 victory over Australia.

Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe each scored two goals as the United States women claimed bronze in a 4-3 win over Australia.

The Olympics may be the last major soccer tournament for a few of the biggest stars on the U.S. women’s national team like forward Carli Lloyd.

Laurel Hubbard never wanted the attention that fell upon her.

It was a stunning upset in Tokyo. The loss ended the U.S. team's bid for gold.

The quest for gold medals is on track for the U.S. women’s basketball and volleyball teams after finishing at the top of their groups in pool play.

Jessie Fleming scored on a penalty kick in the 74th minute and Canada earned a 1-0 semifinal victory over the United States in the Olympic women’s soccer competition.

"Still a lot to compete for," Rapinoe said. "That's what I told the girls. It's not the color we want but there's still a medal on the line."

This wasn't how it was supposed to go for Lloyd, Rapinoe, and Team USA, winners of two World Cups and authors of a 44-match unbeaten run heading into Tokyo.

Will Megan Rapinoe's cold streak end in the semifinal? Will host pressure get to the Japanese men against high-powered Spain?

They'll face Canada Monday in the semifinals.

United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher stopped three penalty kicks as the U.S. gets past Netherlands.

Megan Rapinoe converted the deciding penalty in a shootout and the United States advanced to the semifinals of the women’s Olympic soccer tournament 4-2 following a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands.

Megan Rapinoe scored the clinching penalty kick as the United States women's national team outlasted the Netherlands for a spot in the Olympic women's soccer semifinals.

Critics are outraged, saying the anti-doping agency for the games is turning a blind eye for the white athlete on the heels of suspending the Black sprinter earlier this month.

The United States made it through to the quarterfinals of the women’s Olympic soccer competition after a 0-0 draw with Australia.

The Americans rebounded from their opening loss to Sweden with a 6-1 rout of New Zealand in front of the First Lady in the women’s soccer tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.

Players on the U.S. women’s national soccer team urged a federal appeals court to reinstate their equal pay lawsuit, saying their greater success than the American men was not taken into account by a trial court judge who dismissed their case.

Megan Rapinoe hoisted an imaginary American flag as she and USWNT teammate Abby Dahlkemper staged a Parade of Nations from their team hotel.

While it certainly wasn’t the Olympic start the U.S. women’s soccer team had anticipated, a rare loss didn’t skewer the squad’s hopes for gold.

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Team USA CEO Sarah Hirshland about prepping for this year's Olympics in Tokyo and what the event will look like with COVID-19 precautions such as having no spectators.

It's a massive image overhaul for the major brand.

The Sports Innovation Lab said sponsors switching to a community-based monetization around women's sports could reach over $600 million.

Victoria's Secret is swapping its Angels for activists in a major rebrand that seeks to completely redefine the company.

"As a woman who has played sports my whole life, I know that the threats to women's and girls' sports are lack of funding, resources and media coverage; sexual harassment; and unequal pay," she said. Rapinoe, who gave congressional testimony and appeared at the White House last week on Equal Pay Day, has long been a vocal advocate for equality. While a federal judge dismissed the team's equal pay lawsuit last year, they've vowed to appeal. Earlier this month, Mississippi outlawed transgender athletes from competing on girls' or women's sports teams. Supporters of the bills argue transgender girls, because they were born male, have physical advantages than those who were born female.

President Joe Biden met with soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe and other members of the U.S. women's national soccer team Wednesday at the White House to mark Equal Pay Day. "Asian American and Pacific Islander women's Equal Pay Day is March 9. Black women's Equal Pay Day isn't until August 3rd. Native American women's Equal Pay Day isn't until September 8th. And Latino women's Equal Pay Day isn't until October 21.

"We are now, I think, ready to move past the protesting phase and actually move into putting all of the talk into actual work," USWNT defender Crystal Dunn said.

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe condemned last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol building, saying it revealed America's "true colors." The co-captain of the women's national soccer team on Tuesday accused President Trump of stirring up a mob that ultimately attacked the Capitol in a riot that left five people dead. Rapinoe said "unleashing a white supremacist mob" is "nothing new" in the U.S. She said the motivations of the mostly White crowd that stormed the Capitol were clear. "Hopefully this the last layer we needed to rip off, although it's been abundantly clear for a number of 100 years what the real issue is: This was about white supremacy and holding up white supremacy," she said. Before and after winning the World Cup in 2019, she voiced her refusal to go to the White House with her championship team.

International Women's Day is a chance for brands to show what they're doing to promote equality and arguably raise their profiles and sell more too. #SexResponsibly," on Valentine's Day with ads stating: "Buying someone a drink doesn't buy you a yes," and it aims to continue the conversation ahead of International Women's Day. Time Magazine has published covers of 100 "Women of the Year" for International Women's Day 2020. Reebok, owned by Adidas, just dropped its 2020 "It's a Man's World" collection ahead of International Women's Day. "Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes and star Kerry Washington pose as part of a campaign by non-profit Care for International Women's Day.

Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team married in Miami on Saturday, the team confirmed on Twitter. Harris, 34, and Krieger, 35, officially exchanged vows in a ceremony with family friends and plenty of their teammates posting pictures on social media. Harris, a goalie, and Krieger, a defender, were part of the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. "We became really close friends, and we just hung out, we clicked, and we had so much in common," Harris told People in March. "You're always fearful of that you never know how people are going to react, and you might lose fans, or lose respect," Harris said.

U.S. Women's Soccer star Megan Rapinoe on Friday announced her endorsement of Senator Elizabeth Warren for president. It's big, it's bold," Rapinoe tells Warren in the video via phone. Warren replies: "We really believe in equity, we believe in racial equity, we believe in gender equity, we believe in everybody gets a chance in this country. Warren congratulated Rapinoe on the honor, saying she leads her team on the field, and "(leads) America off the field." After officially endorsing Warren, Rapinoe informed the presidential candidate of a "little saying."

U.S. Women's Soccer star Megan Rapinoe on Friday announced her endorsement of Senator Elizabeth Warren for president. It's big, it's bold," Rapinoe tells Warren in the video via phone. Warren replies: "We really believe in equity, we believe in racial equity, we believe in gender equity, we believe in everybody gets a chance in this country. Warren congratulated Rapinoe on the honor, saying she leads her team on the field, and "(leads) America off the field." After officially endorsing Warren, Rapinoe informed the presidential candidate of a "little saying."

U.S. national team star Megan Rapinoe has been named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated.Rapinoe, FIFA Player of the Year and a two-time World Cup winner, including this year's tournament in France, was selected for dominating "the world's game, on the world's stage, under attack by a world leader. "The magazine says Rapinoe is just the fourth woman in the award's 66-year history to win the honor unaccompanied, calling it "a remarkable athletic achievement and a reflection of entrenched gender biases. "Her pose, arms outstretched, chin up, head tilted back slightly after scoring the World Cup-winning goal against the Netherlands, represents one of the signature sports images of 2019.

PARIS -- Lionel Messi won a record sixth Ballon d'Or while World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe earned the women's prize on Monday.A day after scoring his 614th career goal for Barcelona, Messi reclaimed the trophy he last won in 2015.Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk was second in the polling, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who shared the record of five Ballon d'Ors with Messi until Monday.Messi's and Ronaldo's 10-year grip on the prestigious individual award organized by France Football magazine was ended last year by Luka Modric.But Messi was back on top of his game over the past 12 months. Messi scored 36 times last season en route to the Spanish Liga title, and was the Champions League top scorer.The Argentine has not showed any sign of slowing down since the start of the new European season, marking his 700th game for Barcelona last week with a goal and two assists in beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1.Van Dijk clinched the 2019 Champions League crown with the Reds after defeating Messi's Barcelona in the semifinals 4-3 on aggregate, included a 4-0 win at Anfield in the return match.Messi also won his sixth FIFA award in September, edging Van Dijk, who missed the chance to become the first defender to top the France Football poll since Italy's World Cup-winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, in 2006.The Liverpool center back was among seven teammates nominated, along with goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and forwards Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.Rapinoe won the women's Ballon d'Or for leading the United States to World Cup glory in July.She scored six goals in the championship, earning her the Golden Boot as the top scorer and the Golden Ball as the top player.France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956 and created a women's award for the first time last year when Norway's Ada Hegerberg won it. Hegerberg was fourth this time.Juventus defender Mattis De Light won the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, and the inaugural Yashin Trophy given to the year's best men's goalkeeper went to Liverpool's Alisson.

The US Women's National Team's lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation was filed in March in US District Court in California, with 28 members of the team listed as plaintiffs. Friday's class certification decision allows for members of the USWNT to sue the federation collectively -- including any player who reported for national team duty over a specific period of time cited in the lawsuit. When contacted for reaction, a federation spokesperson said, "U.S. Soccer does not have any specific comment." The federation said US Soccer pays USWNT contracted players a salary to play in the National Women's Soccer League, while the men are paid by their individual teams. "The women's national team players deserve equal pay and are right to pursue a legal remedy from the courts or Congress," the men's team said.

Brandi Chastain and Michelle Akers take part in new CTE studyThe new study looks at head trauma in high school sports. Girls' soccer was second, at a rate of eight per 10,000. In the 20 sports studied, girls had more than twice the rate of concussions compared to boys. There are some theories for the disparity in concussions between boys and girls. So maybe concussions in boys are actually more frequent than we realize.

That is the daunting challenge facing Vlatko Andonovski after the 43-year-old was appointed as the new head coach of the United States Women's National soccer team. "It is important for this team to win every game and not just every game but to win big tournaments as well. The standard of the women's game has improved significantly, with more competitive and professional leagues in Europe bolstering the number of star players across the globe. More than just a gameThrough their success on the field, a number of USWNT players have chosen to voice their political and social ideals. "I respect their position," Andonovski said of the USWNT players' fight for social justice.

Megan Rapinoe accepts the Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year award during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 at the Teatro alla Scala on Sept. 23, 2019, in Milan, Italy. USWNT star Megan Rapinoe praised Raheem Sterling for his continuing fight against racism and urged a host of leading footballers and coaches to use their platform as worldwide stars to "change the world for better" after being named The Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year on Monday. However, Rapinoe said that it shouldn't be just down to those individuals to fight alone. I feel like that's my ask of everybody, we have such an incredible opportunity being professional football players. Award winnersElsewhere, Lionel Messi edged out Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk to be crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player, while Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and USWNT boss Jill Ellis were crowned The Best FIFA Coaches.

Megan Rapinoe #15 of the United States the United States international friendly match against Ireland at the Rose Bowl on August 3, 2019 in Pasadena, California. The United States won the match 3-0. In the midst of a five-game victory tour following their World Cup win, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) is also preparing for the 2020 Olympics and engaged in a heated legal battle with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) for equal pay. Now, representatives for the team say they have left a mediation process meant to avoid an appearance in federal court. The United States won the match 3-0.

Mediation talks between the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team have broken down after their first day of discussions, according to a representative from the women's team. Immediately after the women's team beat the Netherlands on July 7, fans started calling for another victory: Giving the women equal pay. Equal pay!" Players from the USA celebrate following their victory in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final on July 7, 2019. But according to the federation's own financial reports, the women's team generated more total revenue than the men's in the three years after the women's 2015 World Cup victory.

Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger and Megan Rapinoe celebrate during a victory ticker-tape parade for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team on July 10, 2019, in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (CNN) - The US women's soccer team, still World Champions and emerging advocates for women's rights, returned to center stage with flair Saturday night. On the field, the Americans dispatched Ireland 3-0 in a friendly at the Rose Bowl, their first match since winning the World Cup last month in France. Off the pitch this weekend, the US Women's National Team Players Association announced a partnership with Time's Up activists to raise funds to help fight for pay equity in various industries. "I think it's part of what this team is about, what these players are about," coach Jill Ellis said after the game.

However, it also confirmed that amount will rise to $440 million for the next men's World Cup, in Qatar in 2022. Ahead of the Women's World Cup final in July, Infantino proposed doubling the total prize money to $60 million in 2023. It means that dozens more member associations can organize their women's soccer programs and funding, knowing they have a realistic chance of qualifying. The United States National Soccer Team Players Association, the labor organization for members of the men's national team, showed its dissatisfaction with the details of Cordeiro's letter. The pay dispute erupted in March, four months before the team went on to retain the FIFA Women's World Cup in France.

(CNN) - Soccer goddess Megan Rapinoe led the US women's team to victory in this year's World Cup. Penguin Press announced Thursday that it will publish a book by the co-captain of the US Women's National Team in fall 2020. "I hope this book will inspire people to find what they can do, and in turn inspire other people around them to do the same," Rapinoe told The New York Times. Off the field, Rapinoe has become an advocate for gender equality and equal pay. In a speech at the team's victory parade in New York this month, she urged people to do better.