The U.S. Women's National soccer team will take on France on Friday in the quarterfinal of the Women's World Cup. The two teams are considered top contenders to win the tournament; the U.S. is the defending champion, and France has a home-field advantage.
While all eyes will be on the pitch once the first whistle blows, the lead up to the game has also focused on some political elements of the squad's success. Co-captain Megan Rapinoe got President Trump's attention when she said she's "not going to the f---king White House" if she wins the cup. But the entire team has been hoping to get everyone's attention regarding the disparity in pay between the U.S. men's and women's national teams. Players sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination in March over the pay gap, and on Friday, fans readying for the big game made sure not to lose sight of the alleged injustice.
The match is set to be a scorcher as France suffers its hottest-ever temperatures in some regions — Paris is a not-record-breaking-but-still-sweltering 90 degrees. The showdown is do-or-die, and whoever loses will be booted from the cup. Whoever wins will move on to face England, who trounced Norway on Thursday. The game begins at 3 p.m. ET. Watch the team's pre-game rallying video below. Summer Meza
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