CINCINNATI — The U.S. men’s national soccer players agreed to equal pay without formally entering the negotiating room.
While women’s players regularly joined lawyers and representatives from all sides at bargaining sessions, according to sources, the men instead relied on their longtime executive director, Mark Levinstein, to secure a deal that will compensate the USMNT and USWNT on “identical” terms — and that, while mostly hailed as a historic win for the women, also makes the men one of the most well-paid national teams in the world.
Levinstein communicated primarily with Walker Zimmerman, a late-blooming defender who became an on-field leader throughout 2022 World Cup qualifying, and who simultaneously became the chief organizer within the men’s players association.