USWNT's Emma Hayes inks landmark equal-pay deal

Hayes, a well-respected coach in England, is considered a fantastic get by the USWNT. She's a proven winner who has clinched six domestic titles with Chelsea, and she also has something special: a deep cultural understanding of soccer in the United States. Hayes spent her formative coaching years leading women's teams in New York.

"She has tremendous energy and an insatiable will to win," said U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone. "Her experience in the USA, her understanding of our soccer landscape, and her appreciation of what it means to coach this team make her a natural fit for this role."

Details of Hayes' contract with the USWNT emerged in the hours since her confirmation, and they make for fascinating reading. Her salary, thought to be in the realm of $2M per year, will make her the highest-paid women's coach in the world.

It's not just the size of Hayes' salary that's raising eyebrows. It's the fact that it's equal to the salary of Gregg Berhalter, the coach of the U.S. Men's National Team. For the first time in its history, the U.S. Soccer Federation has achieved pay parity for the leaders of its national programs. 

The difference in pay between men's and women's programs has long been staggering. Previous USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski took home $446,495 to Berhalter's $2M package. The gap is even wider abroad: In England, women's coach Sarina Wiegman takes home $500,000 to men's coach Gareth Southgate's $6.2M.

It's a big statement from the U.S. Soccer Federation and one that could raise the valuation of top-tier women's coaches across the planet.