LIVE: US team's letter to congress over abuse

The US Centre for SafeSport said it is consenting to enactment with the US Soccer Athletes Council to code concerns astir the organisation tasked with protecting athletes from abuse.

The US Soccer Athletes Council sent a missive to the US Senate and House of Representatives this week signed by much than 100 existent and erstwhile nationalist squad players, including the full US squad playing successful the Women's World Cup.

"As athletes, we privation to instrumentality a pb successful collaborating with Congress and National Governing Bodies of Sport successful bid to make a harmless and supportive situation that allows shot players — and each different athletes successful the Olympic question — to thrive some connected and disconnected the field. We are committed to moving with you and different stakeholders to marque the indispensable changes to guarantee that players are harmless and protected from abuse. And that means that we request to make an efficient, fair, and effectual strategy for athletes to report," the missive said.

SafeSport CEO, Ju'Riese Colon successful crook sent a missive to players connected Friday, inviting dialog astir their concerns.

The players' missive to Congress comes aft an maltreatment and misconduct ungraded that rocked the National Women's Soccer League. In 2021, 2 erstwhile players came guardant and accused long-time manager Paul Riley of misconduct and intersexual coercion. Riley, who denied the charges, was fired and aboriginal banned from the league.

Riley was among 5 of 10 NWSL coaches who were either fired oregon resigned that twelvemonth amid allegations of improper behaviour. It spurred investigations by US Soccer and the league itself. Both recovered a systemic civilization of misconduct.

The players' missive said SafeSport declares excessively galore cases administratively closed "with nary ruling successful favour of either party".

"This result has superior consequences for victims. We person seen our colleagues enactment up the spot and courageousness to archer their stories, lone for investigators to adjacent their lawsuit without immoderate conclusive findings. When cases are administratively closed, determination is nary existent closure for victims, and astir troublingly, their abusers are escaped to instrumentality to their sport," the missive said.

The Football Ferns were vibing to the euphony connected the squad autobus arsenic it pulled distant aft New Zealand's first-ever Women's World Cup victory. The blasting song, appropriately enough, was Outkast's "The Way You Move".

The Ferns surely look to beryllium connected the move.

With a 1-0 triumph implicit Group A favorites Norway secured, New Zealand is successful bully presumption to beforehand to the knockout signifier — a monolithic accomplishment for the tourney co-hosts, who had ne'er won a lucifer astatine the World Cup earlier Thursday night.

It was a monumental triumph for women's shot successful a federation that is amended known for its emotion of rugby. More than 42,000 fans were astatine the game, making it the biggest assemblage ever for a men's oregon women's shot lucifer successful New Zealand.

"To spot the mode we performed and fought, the resilience of the this team, however gritty the effort, the sprinting. Everything. That is the benignant of show we wanted to show. That's who we are," skipper Ali Riley said. "And that is however we tin animate young girls. That is however we tin marque our federation arrogant and hopefully alteration the sporting civilization successful this country."

New Zealand present turns to a lucifer Tuesday against tourney rookies the Philippines successful Wellington. Norway plays Switzerland successful Hamilton.