It’s only been a little over a month since the U.S. Women’s Soccer team won the World Cup. While these women (deservedly) took some time to celebrate in incredible fashion, they’ve also never lost sight of their off-the-field goals, which include closing the gender pay gap in their sport.

In March, the team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer over pay equity, as well as working conditions. “I think to be on this team is to understand these issues,” Megan Rapinoe told the New York Times at the time. “And I think we’ve always — dating back to forever — been a team that stood up for itself and fought hard for what it felt it deserved and tried to leave the game in a better place.”

According to the Times, both sides came to the table this week for mediation talks in New York City this week, but that those talks broke down.

“We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of U.S.S.F. [United States Soccer Federation] full of hope,” Molly Levinson, a spokeswoman for the players, said in a statement to the paper. “Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior. It is clear that U.S.S.F., including its board of directors and President Carlos Cordeiro, fully intend to continue to compensate women players less than men. They will not succeed.”

U.S. Soccer then responded with a statement of their own. “We have said numerous times that our goal is to find a resolution, and during mediation we had hoped we would be able to address the issues in a respectful manner and reach an agreement,” U.S. Soccer said. “Unfortunately, instead of allowing mediation to proceed in a considerate manner, plaintiffs’ counsel took an aggressive and ultimately unproductive approach that follows months of presenting misleading information to the public in an effort to perpetuate confusion.”

This morning, Rapinoe and teammate Christen Press appeared on the Today show to discuss what happened with Savannah Guthrie. “When they’re ready to have a serious conversation about equal pay, I think the conversations will go better,” Rapinoe said. “We didn’t feel like they were there, or willing to get there.”

When asked if there was a particular sticking point in the negotiations, Press expanded on what Rapinoe said. “I think, unfortunately, it was just the concept of paying us equally. We never even got past that,” she explained. “We were very hopeful in our discussions with them that they were going to take our proposals and our positions seriously which is simply that every game that we play, we get compensated the same way a man would for playing or winning that game. And it broke down right there.”

“I think it’s fair for us to ask that when we play a game and we win that game, or we tie that game or we lose that game, that we should be paid the same as our male counterparts and I don’t think that’s an unrealistic or unreasonable ask, to have equality,” Rapinoe continued. She also said that while she doesn’t think anybody wants this case to go to trial, the women are “confident” in their case—and they’re doing this for more than just themselves.

“This is about so much more than just our case…Just from a social perspective, from leaving the game in a better place for women everywhere. If it’s not equal, there’s no deal that we can get to. This isn’t bargaining. You either value us equally and show that, or you don’t.”

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