The US Soccer Federation has offered identical contracts to its men’s and women’s national teams in an attempt to resolve its gender pay dispute.
In May 2020, a lawsuit from the women’s team for equal pay was dismissed by a judge, with an appeal pending.
The USSF says a single equal pay structure is “the best path forward”.
The federation called on players and their unions for support in helping to “equalise” World Cup prize money, which is at the root of the teams’ pay gap.
USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone said in an open letter, “until Fifa equalises the prize money that it awards to the men’s and women’s World Cup participants, it is incumbent upon us to collectively find a solution,” she said.
“US Soccer will not agree to any collective bargaining agreement that does not take the important step of equalising Fifa World Cup prize money,” a USSF statement said.
The United States won the Women’s World Cup for the fourth time in France in 2019 and have claimed Olympic gold five times. The men’s team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Prize money at the 2018 men’s World Cup totalled US$400m, the prize fund for the 2019 Women’s World Cup was US$30m.
