MLS, players agree to new labor deal
There will be a Major League Soccer season after all.
The league and players' union have agreed in principle to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement that prevents the first work stoppage in MLS history.
"This agreement will provide a platform for our players, ownership and management to work together to help build Major League Soccer into one of the great soccer leagues in the world," said Commissioner Don Garber in a statement Wednesday.
The introduction of a limited free agency - which the league has previously held a firm stance against - was key to the negotiations. Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel reported that the new CBA will include free agency for players who have eight years experience and are at least 28 years old.
Tenorio added that a salary cap will be attached to any free agent:
Players who are making under $100,000 have a cap of a 125-percent increase of their salary, players making between $100-200,000 have a cap of 120 percent and players making more than $200,000 have a cap of 115-percent.
In addition, the new CBA includes a minimum salary of $60,000, though that number will increase incrementally per year. The source said there was also an increase in the overall salary cap, though the source could not immediately provide that number.
Both sides had federal mediators on hand as the deal was hammered out.
The deal, which still requires formal ratification by the MLS Players Union, comes just two days before the start of the regular season, with the defending champion L.A. Galaxy set to host the Chicago Fire on Friday.
Bigger still is a sold-out match between expansion teams New York City FC and Orlando City SC on Sunday in Orlando, Fla., that will draw more than 60,000 fans.
There was plenty of motivation for the league and players to find a middle ground without losing any regular-season games.
A new exclusive TV deal with Sky Sports will bring MLS to the United Kingdom for the next four years, and international stars such as Kaka, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and David Villa are set to make their league debuts.