In early 2019, heated internal negotiations explode into public view as 28 USWNT players, including Jessica McDonald, file a landmark lawsuit against U.S. Soccer for “institutionalized gender discrimination.” In that lawsuit, the players argue they play more games and win more often than the U.S. men’s team, yet still receive less pay from the federation; U.S. Soccer counters that the men’s games drives more revenue for the federation. And as McDonald and the national team advance to the finals of the 2019 World Cup, they know one more win on the field could signal something even greater off it—generations in the making.

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