The U.S. women’s national team achieved equal pay with the men’s team under new labor deals reached between both national teams and the U.S. Soccer Federation.

The agreement makes the United States the first country to close the pay gap between its men’s and women’s soccer teams, according to the USSF. After the landmark achievement was announced Wednesday, cheers rung out across the sports world.

“The accomplishments in this CBA are a testament to the incredible efforts of the WNT players on and off the field,” USWNT Players Association president Becky Sauerbrunn said in a statement posted to the organization’s Twitter account.

Sauerbrunn also posted a thread on her own Twitter account, thanking “the women who led and continue to lead the fight for equal pay across sports and in everyday day life.”

She also gave particular thanks to her USWNT teammates.

“If there was ever a group of women who know they can do hard things, it’s this one,” Sauerbrunn wrote. “We try to set a new standard for ourselves every time we step on the field[;] well, we just set a new standard off the field, too.”

A quick thread, because I just want to say, “thank you.”

“Thank you,” to the women who led and continue to lead the fight for equal pay across sports and in everyday day life. This work stretches long in to the past and will continue well in to the future. I’ve said it before… https://t.co/bJMQrRNy31

— Becky Sauerbrunn (@beckysauerbrunn) May 18, 2022

USWNT Players Association vice president Crystal Dunn marked the accomplishment on Twitter. “We have achieved equal pay for equal work!” she wrote.

I’m extremely proud of @USWNTPlayers for their tireless effort to make this happen! We have achieved equal pay for equal work!!
☑️🤩👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/3mncbkFoXw

— Crystal Dunn | Soubrier | (@Cdunn19) May 18, 2022

Alex Morgan, a member of the USWNT’s bargaining committee, expressed a similar sentiment.

Equal pay for equal work with US Soccer ✅
Such a historic moment for this team, so proud of all the work put in to make this happen. https://t.co/BNTDz06nvx

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) May 18, 2022

Midge Purce, another member of the bargaining committee, applauded everyone who had worked on the new collective bargaining agreement, but she tempered her enthusiasm.

“One thing my dad always said is, ‘You don’t get rewarded for doing what you’re supposed to do,’ and paying men and women equally is what you’re supposed to do, so I’m not giving out any gold stars,” Purce told USA Today.

Several NWSL clubs celebrated the milestone for the women’s national team, including the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC.

To quote the great @lizzo…

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) May 18, 2022

A historic day for our sport. https://t.co/jqvGkgoBXd

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) May 18, 2022

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman called the news “historic progress not just for soccer but for all of sport.”

Historic progress not just for soccer but for all of sport. Keep moving the needle forward. #uswnt #usmnt @ussoccer #nwsl https://t.co/oXBhkNbA7g

— Jessica Berman (@JessicaBerman1) May 18, 2022

Voices from outside of the soccer world chimed in as well, among them Premier Hockey Federation commissioner Reagan Carey. “Great example of what happens when right people are at the table to champion equity & pave a path forward,” she wrote on Twitter.

Landmark precedent, historic day for all in sport. Great example of what happens when right people are at the table to champion equity & pave a path forward. Kudos to decades of #uswnt players, staff determined to leave soccer better than they found it! https://t.co/0secSjNacg

— Reagan Carey (@reagan_carey) May 18, 2022

The WNBPA also expressed its support, writing: “Did you feel that?!! That was another GROUNDBREAKING CBA!”

🗣Whoa! Did you feel that?!!

That was another GROUNDBREAKING CBA!
Keep pushing us forward @USWNTPlayers #LaborStrong#PlayersSupportingPlayers#ItsAboutTime #BetOnWomen https://t.co/DRTVKKvpO7

— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) May 18, 2022

Even the President of the United States gave his congratulations. “This is a big deal, @USWNT,” President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter.

This is a big deal, @USWNT. I’m proud of you for never giving up and I commend @ussoccer for agreeing to do the right thing.

Let’s keep up the fight until we close the gender pay gap in every industry. https://t.co/5ZTuHal4eb

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 19, 2022

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.