FIFA Women's World Cup

USWNT focused on legacy, next generation with USSF settlement

Updated Mar. 13, 2022 7:20 p.m. ET

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Ask any United States Women’s National Team soccer player — past or present — what kind of legacy they hope to leave behind, and they will all tell you the same thing: leave the sport better than they found it.

As of Tuesday, the USWNT players can say they did exactly that.

The 28 players on the national team who sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for pay discrimination in 2019 reached a settlement in their class-action equal pay lawsuit for a total of $24 million, the two sides announced Tuesday morning.

U.S. Soccer has agreed to pay the players in the case $22 million and will pay an additional $2 million into an account that will benefit USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls' soccer. Each player will be able to apply for up to $50,000 from this fund.

"From its inception, we’ve had women fight for better pay, better working conditions and to be treated more fairly and with more respect," USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn told reporters on a Zoom call Tuesday afternoon. "Every generation has taken on that fight to close the gap, and every generation has left this program better for that fight. And we, as the current players, are thrilled that this fight has led to the closing of that gap.

"There are a lot of on-field accomplishments like World Cups and Olympics and league championships, but this will stand out as one of the most meaningful moments."

The settlement is contingent on the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement for the USWNT players. Negotiations are going on right now, and the deadline for a new CBA is March 31.

As part of the settlement, the USSF has committed to providing an equal rate of pay going forward for the women’s and men’s national teams "in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup," according to a U.S. Soccer press release. Both the USWNT Players Association and the USMNT Players Association worked together to get to this point.

"They are a proponent and see the value in women being treated and paid equally to them," Sauerbrunn said of the men’s national team. "We’re really thankful that they are willing to join this fight with us."

The USWNT have long been fighting for equal pay. From a small group of players filing an EEOC complaint in 2016, things escalated in March 2019, when a larger group of prominent players, including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Carli Lloyd filed a gender discrimination lawsuit under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act months before the World Cup.

The U.S. women went on to win that tournament, clinching their fourth World Cup title. Fans showed their support of the team, with "Equal pay!" chants reverberating throughout the stadium in France after the final. Later, President Joe Biden would publicly support the women and threaten to cut funding for the 2026 World Cup.

On Tuesday, he called the settlement an "overdue victory in the fight for equal pay."

"I’m proud of the @USWNT for never giving up — on and off the field," he tweeted. "Now, let’s close the pay gap in every industry."

After the World Cup, the USWNT's battle went on. In May 2020, a U.S. district court judge threw out the players’ claims for equal pay but allowed claims about playing conditions to move forward. The players settled the conditions part of the suit but filed an appeal on the equal pay claims.

It took determination, commitment and lots of time from the entire team — both in front of and behind the scenes — to come to this moment Tuesday.

"All of us, I’m sure, at one point were probably like, ‘F this, let's be done with it, and let's quit,’" Rapinoe said. "But then one person would pick that person up.

"For future generations, to have them understand as well, not just that things are going to be better, but it's their responsibility to make them better. Hopefully we've left them with a much bigger toolbox and a better roadmap for doing that and a structure that will allow them to continue to build on this. That is something that we’re incredibly proud of."

The players were initially seeking nearly $67 million in back pay, but even so, this settlement is an important victory. What will be interesting moving forward is how the rest of the world reacts and if other countries use this as an example for their women's teams.

Additionally, will it mean anything to FIFA and its role in closing the pay gap?

"It's an 'on-notice' for FIFA, as it has been," Rapinoe said. "They should feel like they're next."

On her way to training for the SheBelieves Cup on Tuesday morning, Sauerbrunn was scrolling through social media, reading reactions to the settlement news. The message that stood out to her most was from one of the newer faces on the USWNT, 21-year-old forward Sophia Smith.

"No amount of words can say thank you enough to all of the USWNT players who have been fighting for this for so many years," Smith wrote. "Not only for themselves but for the next generation and every single one after that. Thank you for never giving up and teaching us to never settle for less."

To a veteran like Sauerbrunn, seeing younger players understand the importance of their own legacy makes the fight worth it.

"To me, that message was one of the best," Sauerbrunn said. "To know that we, the players, have built a culture that has instilled a sense of value and fight, I think is a legacy that we’re truly proud to leave behind."

And that’s what it’s all about.

Laken Litman covers college football and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously covered college football, college basketball, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and the Olympics at Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. Her first book, written in partnership with Rizzoli and Sports Illustrated and titled "Strong Like a Woman," will be published this spring marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX.