U.S. soccer stars tell story of fight for equal pay in new film 'LFG'

(Reuters) - Soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Jessica McDonald rested their cleats and walked the red carpet at the premiere of documentary "LFG" at the Tribeca Film Festival, which tells the story of the fight for equal pay by the U.S. women's national team.

The players sued U.S. soccer's governing body in 2019 over allegations of gender discrimination in compensation and nearly every other aspect of playing conditions.

Months later, they won a fourth World Cup for the United States as fans chanted "equal pay" during the 2-0 final triumph against the Netherlands.

Last year, a judge threw out the players' claims that they were underpaid compared with the men's national team and weeks later denied the players' bid to appeal until the working conditions element of the lawsuit was settled.

On the red carpet on Thursday, Rapinoe said she hopes that women see themselves in the film.

"We obviously know not everybody gets to stand where I'm standing with, you know, this mic and have a movie," Rapinoe said. "But so many people, so many women around the world go through the exact same things that we're going through."

McDonald, who had a son in 2012, said she was thrilled to be a part of the film. "I felt as if the world should know, hey, this is what we go through, especially as moms."

The title of the film comes from the team's rally cry before a match - "Let's F'ing Go."

The film will begin streaming on HBO Max on June 24.

(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Editing by Grant McCool)