A soccer ball sits by the pitch line prior to the NWSL Championship soccer match between the Washington Spirit and Chicago Red Stars, Nov. 20, 2021, in Louisville, Ky. The U.S. Soccer Federation and the union for its women's national team agreed to a three-month extension of their labor contract through March, a move announced on the same day players filed a brief asking a federal appeals court to reinstate their equal pay claim. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, file)