Equal pay is paying off, as US Soccer said it will distribute the USMNT’s $16 million World Cup payout evenly between the men’s and women’s teams. The decision stems from the teams’ game-changing 2022 CBA.

The USMNT scored the check by reaching the Round of 16 before falling 4-1 to Belgium. US Soccer keeps 20% of the purse. It divides 80% — $6.4 million, or $246,153.85 each — between this summer’s men’s roster and next year’s women’s squad. 

In accordance with the agreement, the women’s half now enters an interest-bearing account. Once coach Emma Hayes chooses her 26-player World Cup lineup, it will be distributed.

In order to get the cash, the USWNT must first punch its ticket to Brazil. The team will have to beat El Salvador in November 27th’s win-and-in Concacaf W Championship quarterfinal.

The 2023 World Cup paid out $110 million, showcasing a big leap over 2019’s $30 million.

Granted they qualify, individual payouts from the 2027 tournament are projected to climb even higher based on FIFA’s expanding prize pool.

The Kansas City Current have apparently found a new manager, with ESPN reporting last week that the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners will bring on former MLS head coach Chris Armas to lead the team in 2026.

Armas built his career in the MLS, coaching the New York Red Bulls from 2018 to 2020 before taking over Toronto FC in 2021, then spending the last three years heading up the Colorado Rapids.

The ex-USMNT player also has experience in the women's game at the college level, leading the Division II Adelphi University women's soccer team from 2011 to 2014.

Despite their many victories in 2025, the Current found themselves without a coach after third-year boss Vlatko Andonovski moved into a sporting director role with the club in November.

ESPN reported that Kansas City chose Armas over internal candidates like assistants Milan Ivanovic and ex-Angel City and Gotham manager Freya Coombe.

"I want my staff and people I've worked with to become successful coaches. These are things I'm very passionate about and want to be able to execute," Andonovski told ESPN last month.

Armas would be the first former MLS coach to make the leap to the NWSL, with the winds of change in Kansas City blowing stronger than anticipated.