USSF president Parlow-Cone Equal pay breakthrough lifts 'dark cloud' over U.S. soccer

United States Soccer Federation (USSF) president Cindy Parlow-Cone has told ESPN that achieving equal pay for the men's and women's national teams has made «a dark cloud that was hanging over all of our heads move along.»

Parlow-Cone said last year that the USSF were «committed to equal pay» for national team players, but added the USSF couldn't take on players' financial demands due to the disparity in the distribution of FIFA prize money.

— Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

— Don't have ESPN? Get instant access

While the U.S. women have been successful on the international stage with back-to-back World Cup titles, differences in FIFA prize money meant they took home far less than the men's winners. American women received a $110,000 bonus for winning the 2019 World Cup; the U.S. men would have received $407,000 had they won in 2018.

The federation previously based bonuses on payments from FIFA, which earmarked $400 million for the 2018 men's tournament, including $38 million to champion France, and $30 million for the 2019 women's tournament, including $4 million to the champion United States.

FIFA has increased the total to $440 million for the 2022 men's World Cup, and its president, Gianni Infantino, has proposed that FIFA double the women's prize money to $60 million for the 2023 Women's World Cup, in which FIFA has increased the number of teams to 32.

After winning the re-election as president in March, Parlow-Cone's goal was achieved two months later, as the men's and women's national teams' unions ratified new collective bargaining agreements with U.S. Soccer, including an equal split of World Cup bonuses.

In the new contracts, the unions agreed to pool FIFA's payments for the men's World Cup later