The last six days have been quite a rollercoaster ride for the soccer world—and why wouldn’t they be, with an event like 7v7 The Soccer Tournament (TST)? Kicking off on June 4 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, the tournament featured over 48 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams competing in a 134-game showdown for a unique trophy and a whopping $1 million prize. On June 9, the championship finals took place, with Bumpy Pitch FC claiming the men’s title, while the US women’s team secured their second consecutive distinction.

While it’s true that both winners in their respective categories will be taking home the million-dollar prize, the looming question remains: how exactly will each team divide it among themselves? That includes not just the players like Heather O’Reilly, Ali Krieger, and Carli Lloyd but every coach and staff member as well. Let’s dive in to find out!

How will the US women’s team divide their $1 million winnings?

$1 million is not an amount to be reckoned with. For context, you can buy a swanky apartment in New York City, drive a McLaren sports car, or, like what Chelsea did, pay the transfer fee for signing Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave—the opportunities are endless. However, one has to keep in mind that it is an amount won by the entire team.

One way is to divide the major winnings among big players, those who played a crucial role in the team, and give the rest to the coaches and other staff members alike. However, that wasn’t the kind of approach that anyone liked, especially Heather O’Reilly, who has played a key role in the US Women’s back-to-back victories.

As someone who has been a part of the tournament when it was conducted coed-ly, with her team being the only all-women’s side and even enduring a humiliating loss against the men’s team, that only saw her demand a separate women’s division and equal prize money as well.

Though the proposal was questioned initially by TST organizers, O’Reilly didn’t give up. She literally mentioned, “Don’t even do it at all if you’re not going to do it equally,” as compiled by The Athletic. So the stakeholders agreed. A separate division was launched for the ladies in 2024, with initially just eight teams. That figure doubled to 16 this season.

Now recalling last year’s payday among the US women’s team after winning their first TST, each player pocketed close to $50,000. Meanwhile, the coaches and staff received about half that amount. While it may seem decent enough, Heather O’Reilly knows what these winnings actually mean for everyone. “That’s not just gas money; that’s tuition for kids’ schools, a mortgage, real-life stuff.”

Hence, given how this year the US women’s team secured the million-dollar check, expect them to distribute the winnings in a similar manner. As for the ways they’ll be looking to spend, it’s something that is completely on them. But basically, it will only be some “real-life stuff,” as O’Reilly mentioned. That only recalls a heartwarming story of how the team’s head coach utilized her share of winnings.

The million-dollar win that’s paying off in real life!

After the US Women’s 3-0 win over Bumpy Pitch Women FC in Target Score Time on Monday night, the entire team—players, coaches, staff, and loved ones—rushed onto the field to celebrate their second straight million-dollar victory. Amid the celebrations, head coach Kendall Lorraine Fletcher took the moment to share an emotional story about how she used her share of last year’s prize money, and it’s one that’s sure to touch your heart.

“You know I don’t share this but actually what I did with the money last year is I spent on getting IVF. So we wouldn’t have been able to do it without it last year…so this is really special in all different ways. Next year, I’ll be holding this little guy. So thank you all,” emotionally narrated the former North Carolina Courage defender as others surrounding her in a circle hooted and celebrated the unforgettable moment.

Notably, back in February, Kendall gave a heartfelt glimpse into her IVF journey by sharing a sonogram photo with her Instagram followers. Alongside it, she included a touching caption that read, “Watch out world…little baby White is on the way! Looking to make his debut in June!”

So you may pay special commendation to Kendall for making time for the US Women’s TST and taking up the head coach’s responsibilities with a baby bump. Not to mention her delivery is due in the coming weeks of this month, so it is a moment of double congratulations for the former NWSL and USWNT star.

Also, let alone the fact she not only managed iconic names like Lloyd, O’Reilly, and Krieger, as well as NCAA youngsters, as they all played a crucial role in the win. Having begun their journey in the group stages by securing victories against Austin Rise FC, Process FC, and Angel City 7S, while also scoring nine goals and conceding three, the further knockout stages saw them endure a heavy 5-2 win over Group B’s Streetball Canada FC in the quarterfinals, as well as an easy 2-0 win over Reunion City Dallas in the semis.

The championship final match on June 9 saw them lock horns against Bumpy Pitch Women FC. After a 2-0 score, both teams were reduced to 4-on-4. Fortunately, NCAA champion Evelyn Shores sealed the deal with a crucial million-dollar goal, courtesy of an assist from Heather O’Reilly. The former USWNT midfielder passed on a chance to score and instead assisted the 20-year-old UNC midfielder, who calmly slotted the ball past the keeper.

The goal triggered huge celebrations as the entire US Women’s team and staff rushed onto the field—and why not? They had just defended their title and secured a $1 million prize to share with pride!