USWNT reach new labor agreement with US Soccer

The U.S. Women’s National Team came to terms on a new labor agreement with U.S. Soccer on Wednesday.

The U.S. Women’s Nation Team came to terms on a new labor agreement with U.S. Soccer, it was announced Wednesday morning.

U.S. Soccer the USWNT released a joint statement announcing the deal, which will run through the 2020 Olympics.

As reported by Andrew Das of The New York Times, the deal “includes a sizable increase in base pay and improved match bonuses for the women’s team, changes that could see some players double their incomes to beween $200,000 and $300,000 in a given year — and even more in World Cup year.”

The deal comes a little over a year after the USWNT filed a wage discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer demanding equal pay for USWNT and USMNT players.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati released a statement on Twitter Wednesday morning hailing the deal as a big step forward for the women’s game in the U.S.

Carli Lloyd, one of five USWNT players to sign the initial lawsuit last year, also took to Twitter to express her pleasure with the move.

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This is a big step in the right direction, but as Das notes, the deal doesn’t ensure the women will be paid the same amount as the men. They were able to wring enough concessions out of U.S. Soccer to make an agreement worthwhile, but while this will push the issue out of the spotlight in the short term, there’s still a way to go in the USWNT’s fight for equal pay.