US men's coach made $1.2 mln while women's coach got $357K

Washington (AFP) – United States men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter was paid $1.2 million in the fiscal year ending last March 31 while women’s coach Vlatko Andonovski made only $357,597, tax figures released Wednesday showed.

The US Soccer Federation tax filings were revealed on the organization’s website, showing Berhalter as the highest-paid employee for the national governing body.

The figures also showed the pay gap between the men’s and women’s teams despite the greater success rate of the two-time Women’s World Cup champions compared to the US men, who failed to qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup, leading to Berhalter’s hiring.

Berhalter’s salary of $1,291,539 was slightly less than his total of $1,294,871 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.

Andonovski, who was hired in October 2019, made less than half of the $718,352 salary of prior women’s coach Jill Ellis in the previous year’s filing.

But contracts contain bonus money for World Cup crowns and the prior 12-month filing included Ellis guiding the US women to the 2019 Women’s World Cup crown.

The US women’s national team has filed a lawsuit against US Soccer alleging unequal pay and gender discrimination.

Earnie Stewart, US Soccer’s sporting director, ranked second in the latest year’s salary list on $799,699.

Women’s team general manager Katie Markgraf was third on the salary list at $500,000. Men’s general manager Brian McBride, a former US star who replaced Stewart in the post, was eighth on $338,417.

Federation president Cindy Parlow does not receive a salary.