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The U.S. Soccer Federation reached a settlement on working conditions with the U.S. Women’s National Team on Tuesday, but the dispute over equal pay with that of their male counterparts continues, NBC News reported.
The agreement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, marks a partial milestone for the World Cup champion women’s soccer team members, who will see improvements in hotel accommodations, team travel and professional support.
"This is an important and welcomed moment for U.S. Soccer and the Women's National Team players," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.
Five key players in the women's soccer team filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation last year, alleging the federation's institutionalized gender discrimination and unequal compensation between the men's and women's teams.
The suit claimed that female players were paid $1.725 million in bonuses after winning the World Cup in 2015, while the men's team was awarded $5.375 million in bonuses in 2014 by the same federation.
The current settlement does not address pay inequity after federal Judge R. Gary Klausner rejected the women’s team’s equal pay claim in May, noting the structural differences between the men’s and women’s contracts that both parties agreed to in collective bargaining.
"USSF denies that it did anything wrong and maintains that it has not discriminated against Plaintiffs on the basis of sex in pay or working conditions,” the settlement said.
Meanwhile, Cone indicated her resolve to "come to a resolution on all equal pay matters."
“I will lend my voice and efforts to making this happen," she added. "Not only for the USWNT but for all women’s national team players and everyone who believes in the women’s game throughout the world.”
The U.S. women’s soccer team has won four FIFA Women's World Cup titles since the competition’s founding in 1991. The U.S. men’s national team has not won a FIFA World Cup title in the tournament's 90-year history, per NBC News.