How U.S. Soccer’s Historic Equal Pay Deal Came About

The chants followed the U.S. women’s national soccer team everywhere they went that summer three years ago, from the World Cup stadium in Lyon, France, where the team won its second straight title, to the streets of New York City, where the players were feted with a ticker-tape parade.

“Equal pay! Equal pay!”

Earlier in 2019, the U.S. women had filed a gender equity suit against their own employer. Millions rallied around their cause. But they faced a federation determined to keep the status quo—and courts can be a formidable foe.

“Equal pay! …