Whether it be with her Schoharie or her Northeast Rush club soccer teammates, soccer has always been the one thing Katie Krohn looks forward to each and every day, drawing her inspiration from U.S. women’s national team.

“They’re really inspirational," Krohn said. "You watch them play on TV and see them be successful, [and] you just think you really want to make it to that level one day.”

What You Need To Know

  • Equal pay for the USWNT has long been an issue

  • It has been brought back into conversation in recent weeks

  • Local players believe equal pay is a no brainer

Krohn even got a chance to see some of her idols on the U.S. women’s team play in 2015, as she made the trip north to Canada for the semifinals.

“I just remember the car ride home from Canada and thinking, 'I really want to do that one day,' ” Krohn said.

The USWNT is the arguably the best in the world, with four Olympic gold medals and four World Cups. They’re currently ranked number one in the world, but don’t get the financial recognition for it. ESPN reported in 2020, while total salary varies due to endorsement deals, women’s national players make roughly half of what the men earn for making a World Cup team. Even bonuses for winning games are smaller for the women than the men.

“If the women are doing the same job as the men, they should be getting equal pay," Krohn said. "They’re winning games and winning World Cups, I think they deserve to be paid as much as the men.”

Even Brian Gordon, a native of Scotland and general manager of the Northeast Rush team, is in the same boat. Given the women’s success compared to the men’s in the last decade, he thinks the women should be paid more than the men.

“If you look at Christian Pulisic, who makes over $100,000 a week, he doesn’t need to be paid,” Gordon said. “Whereas you look at the women’s team, who are world champions, who are not paid very well through soccer; the big names are paid well through endorsements. But they should be paid more in my opinion because they make less money, but they’re more successful.”

On Sept. 10, a federal judge ruled that USWNT members were actually paid more than the men per game from 2015-2019. But the women’s national team argues, overall, they are paid less while doing the same work with more success.

For Krohn and Gordon, there’s one way young women across the country can help.

“You get kids playing," Gordon said. "You get them enjoying the game. You get them consuming the game. You get bigger sponsors, more money, and that trickle-down effect will eventually hit the players."