NEW YORK — US women’s coach Emma Hayes sidestepped questions about whether she should get a pay rise if an expensive star like Jurgen Klopp is brought in to replace Gregg Berhalter for the US men.
Berhalter has a contract until the 2026 World CupU.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Matt Crocker has not spoken to the media about Berhalter’s status since the team’s first-round elimination from the Copa America last week.
“My focus today is on preparing our team for our training camp this week. I have to think about that and I have to think about performing first and foremost, myself with this team, this Olympic Games,” Hayes said Monday at a news conference with U.S. Olympic men’s coach Marko Mitrović. “I think things related to the men’s team and gender equality are not questions for now or for me, knowing that my absolute focus is on preparing this week.”
Hayes, voted FIFA’s Best Women’s Coach in 2021was coach of Chelsea’s women’s team from 2012 to 2024 before joining the US this spring.
Berhalter earned $2,291,136 in 2022including $900,000 in bonuses for the US qualifying for the World Cup and reaching the second roundaccording to the USSF’s 2022 tax return.
Hayes’ predecessor as coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Vlatko Andonovski, had a base salary of $396,089 in 2002 and earned $15,000 in bonuses. Andonovski retired last August after the Americans were eliminated in the second round of the Women’s World Cup.
During Hayes’ appointment in NovemberThe USSF said Hayes was on track to become “the highest-paid women’s soccer coach in the world.” Coaches’ salaries are typically disclosed by the USSF when they release their tax returns in February for the fiscal year ending March 31 of the previous year.
The USSF agreed in 2022 to equalize the salaries of the men’s and women’s national team players.
Klopp left Liverpool this spring after nine seasons in which he won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
___
AP football: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer