Becky Sauerbrunn of United States signs the historic collective bargaining agreement at Audi Field on Sept. 6. Photo: Ira L. Black - Corbis/Getty Images
Representatives from the men's and women's U.S. national soccer teams officially signed their collective bargaining agreements with U.S. Soccer on Tuesday night, ending a yearslong battle for equal pay.
Why it matters: The agreement — reached in May — ensures equal pay through identical economic terms, including commercial revenue sharing and World Cup prize money, through 2028.
Driving the news: "I have to give a lot of credit to everyone involved, the women’s national team and their PA (players' association), the men’s national team and their PA, and everyone at U.S. Soccer," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone, a former player, said Tuesday at the signing at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., after a friendly against Nigeria.
- "There were so many people that helped, that worked together to make this happen," she said, per AP.
- U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, who attended Tuesday's game and signing, said the agreement was "a message to the rest of the country that it's important we respect our workers, we respect our workers' rights, and everyone should be paid equally for doing the same job as a man," per ESPN.
- The U.S. women's team beat Nigeria 2-1 on Tuesday night, where former players and some lawmakers were in attendance.
Catch up quick: The U.S. women's national soccer team players settled their gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation in February for $24 million.
The bottom line: "I want to thank all of you guys for the support, all the social media posts, the messages of support, the chants of `Equal Pay’ at really funny times, showing up at our games," US WNT player Becky Sauerbrunn said.
- "You guys make the difference and you are truly, truly the best fans in the world."
Go deeper... Player empowerment is key to the future of U.S. women's pro soccer