The first weekend of MLS is behind us, thanks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement jointly agreed upon by the league and its players’ union, the MLSPU. The negotiations, ongoing since December, had much ground to cover, and appeared at the outset to be doomed. The union demanded the league institute a form of free agency, and the league—citing its single-entity format—rejected any form of free agency as impossible. A rock and a hard place, it would seem.
But the league’s rock proved more pliable than first glance suggested. With just days left before the start of the season, the MLS put a form of free agency, albeit a limited one, on the negotiating table. Although it only applies to players over the age of 28, with at least eight years of league experience, it sets an important precedent.
Indeed, the deal is arguably more important in theory, than in practice. After all, while it allows some players in the league to choose their new club upon their contract’s expiration, it’s not as though every player in MLS has been wholly hamstrung in choosing where they ply their trade. For example, when Real Salt Lake traded Will Johnson to the Portland Timbers, the Canadian International reportedly chose Portland over a handful of other options (including Vancouver in his native country). The league’s single-entity structure—in which all teams are part of a whole, rather than independent competing ‘companies’—might be considered ‘primitive’ by some in order to foster its growth, but for players involved, it’s far from a draconian tyranny.
If the deal’s import has more for theory than in practice (though it does have some crucial practical implications, which we’ll get to shortly), the impact of free agency can’t be understated. Even if it only applies to a fraction of MLS players, the precedent of free agency is crucial. In finally acquiescing to some type of free agency, the MLS reversed a position they’d stood by for years, and even gone to court to defend. In this round of negotiations, whether it was always in the league’s plans to refuse until the 11th hour, then give in days before the season began, or whether they truly did an about face as the clock was ticking, we’ll never know. Not every MLS player is pleased with this deal, and understandably so, considering the limited purview of who qualifies as a free agent. But you can count on the fact that the scope of that free agency will only grow—hopefully alongside the league itself—in years to come.
Practically, this deal has a significant impact on every player in MLS, not merely those who qualify for free agency. For those who do, they can garner a greater wage increase, based on how much they were making previously. Initially, even after free agency was on the table, a major sticking point was the league’s demand that any salary increase for a free agent be limited to 10% of what he was earning before. “What the hell,” the MLSPU countered, “would be the point?” But here it would seem a genuine compromise was made, with the two sides agreeing to utilize a tiered system. Players earning more than $200k can only get a 15% bump in pay—still more than the league initially offered anyone—while those who net between $100-200 will qualify for 20%, and anyone under six figures can boost their paycheck by up to 25%.
But, in terms of practical livelihood for every player in MLS, it’s the littlest guys who got the most out of this deal. Even if free agency and pay increase percentages proved to be the most difficult point of contention, arguably the most far-reaching part of the agreement dealt with the players’ minimum salary. The previous league minimum was $36,500. That means that players making the league minimum, young men playing soccer in front of thousands of people on a weekly basis, being asked for their autographs after games or even on the street, were earning less than the guy who comes to fix your toilet; in some cases, successful plumbers would be making twice as much as minimum-earning MLS players. While some might argue that sewage drainage trumps kicking a ball around in terms of basic human needs (though I might disagree), the CBA’s new league minimum of $60,000 is a significantly improved baseline for MLS players.
The deal isn’t perfect; little in this world is. But it’s been struck, and the season is on. Early in the morning of March 6th, the day after the CBA was completed, league commissioner Don Garber sent out an email to thousands of subscribers to the MLS newsletter. It was a cheerful missive, filled with pleasant anticipation of the new season. However, we can be sure that he’d already drafted a second letter, to be sent off in the event that the season might not in fact begin on time—if at all. While the CBA is unlikely to please everyone, it’s been done and dusted, and we have a season to look forward to; MLS supporters will be happy never to have seen that second draft.