The US Soccer Federation reaches an equal pay agreement with the women's and men's teams

By Marlene LenthangNBC

After a year of fighting for equal pay, the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) and the men's and women's national teams have announced a historic collective bargaining agreement to close the gender pay gap and ensure that all players Men and women receive the same salary.

The United States women's team has dominated world soccer, winning four FIFA Women's World Cup titles since the competition's founding in 1991, all while fighting for equal pay.

At the 2019 World Cup in France, the chants of “Equal pay!”

resounded in the stands in a sign of support.

[U.S. Soccer Players Reach Historic $24 Million Equal Pay Agreement]

The collective bargaining agreement between US Soccer and the unions of the men's and women's national teams is the latest step in cementing the new equal pay policy. 

"I feel extremely proud," US women's national team defender Becky Sauerbrunn said Wednesday on our sister network NBC's TODAY show.

“To finally be able to say you get paid the same for the same work feels really, really good,” she said.

From left to right: Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan during a match in Japan last summer. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Under the terms, the World Cup prize money will be pooled between the men's and women's teams and shared equally among all players, a first in the world of football federations. 

This is an important win, as 2018 men's World Cup winner France pocketed $38 million, while the United States women's team only pocketed $4 million for their victory in 2019.

The men's and women's teams will also share equally any money US Soccer earns commercially and at events, under the terms.

"There is an equalization of the World Cup prize money, identical financial conditions, including payments per game, revenue sharing for both teams, so identical in all aspects on that front", detailed the president of US Soccer, Cindy Parlow Cone, on the conditions. 

The deal comes after star athletes like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan reached a $24 million settlement with US Soccer in February following a lawsuit over unequal pay with players on the men's team.

That agreement was subject to the negotiation agreement.

For the women's team, the announcement comes from afar.

An U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint was filed in 2016 by Morgan, Rapinoe, Sauerbrunn, Hope Solo, and Carli Lloyd (Solo and Lloyd are retired), followed by of a lawsuit filed by 28 members of the United States Women's Soccer Team (USWNT) in March 2019, citing years of ongoing institutionalized gender discrimination against female players in their compensation and working conditions.

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“US Soccer couldn't do this alone, and we couldn't do it,” Cone said, noting that the men's players and the Men's Players Association collaborated on the effort.

"I think this is going to have international ramifications in sport in general and hopefully in the business world," he added.