‘MONUMENTAL WIN’

U.S. Women’s Soccer Secures $24M Settlement After Years of Earning Less Than Men

The women’s team has also secured a promise that their future bonuses will match the men’s.

The United States women’s soccer team is used to the winning feeling, but victory after a six-year legal battle is particularly sweet. On Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the women’s team announced a deal that will split $24 million among the players in back pay after years of unequal compensation for the men’s and women’s teams—and the players have also secured a promise that their future bonuses will match the men’s. When the deal is finalized, it’ll bring an end to the gender discrimination lawsuit the players filed back in 2019. Speaking to The New York Times, striker Alex Morgan celebrated the settlement as “a monumental win for us, and for women,” while legendary midfielder Megan Rapinoe told the Associated Press: “For our generation, knowing that we’re going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything.”