Conference set for March 3 in USSF suit vs women's union

CHICAGO (AP) - A status conference is scheduled for March 3 in the lawsuit brought by the U.S. Soccer Federation against the union for the World-Cup winning U.S. national team over the existence and validity of a collective bargaining agreement.

The conference before U.S District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman is to set a schedule and will be procedural, Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Players Association, said Tuesday.

The USSF sued last week to clarify its opinion that players have a collective bargaining agreement in force until Dec. 31 - covering this year's Olympics. The union claims that such deal exists.

The union filed a motion on Monday in opposition of an expedited hearing, and the federation submitted a reply Monday night, claiming that the union had informed the USSF late last year that it was terminating the CBA with the right to "engage in actions" starting on Feb. 24.

Management maintains a memorandum of understanding agreed to in 2013 extended the CBA until the end of this year.