Major League Soccer announced a late-night deal with the MLS Players Union to end any doubt for the upcoming season. Photo/Kristinn Steindorsson (Columbus Crew SC)
[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]esterday, an eleventh hour deal was reached between MLS and the Players’ Union. Fans rejoiced upon hearing the news that a crisis had been averted and that the league’s schedule would go on without a single game missed.
Now we’re realizing that it seems that the players and the owners aren’t really happy with the deal. Usually, that means the deal was a very fair one if neither side got everything they were hoping for. Let’s break down what we know.
SALARY CAP: Unknown increase
This was one of the biggest sticking points, and neither side has actually revealed what the increase was, but most reports say it was anywhere from 5-15 percent of an increase, though the numbers seem to focus around 7-10 percent. Either way, there is some type of an increase, and it doesn’t seem to be a huge jump. Both sides can claim a “victory” on that.
MINIMUM SALARIES: Up from $36,500 to $60,000
Congratulations to the players on almost doubling the minimum salary required to sign a player to the senior squad of each club. This will truly help out those who are just coming into the league. We know the owners didn’t want to raise this by a lot, but it seems that they caved on this.
LENGTH OF CBA: Five years
There were differing figures being thrown around regarding the length of the CBA, but it would appear the players won out here. The owners were pushing for a figure closer to ten years (eight was the most reported number) but the players balked at that. In the end, the players get what they wanted and the CBA will run through the 2019 season only.
FREE AGENCY: 8/28 model with set caps on salary increase
This is where it gets tricky. The players managed to get some type of free agency into the deal, but it isn’t like other professional leagues in the United States. Here’s the breakdown:
Players will be eligible for free agency after 8 years of experience in MLS or hitting 28 years old.
Players who make $200,000 or more will be eligible for a raise that cannot exceed 15% of their salary.
Players who make $100,000 to $200,000 will be eligible for a raise that cannot exceed 20% of their salary.
Players who make less than $100,000 will be eligible for a raise that cannot exceed 25% of their salary.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem to be a bad deal all the way around. However, here’s where it gets to be a problem. Let’s look at it from both sides.
From the owners’ side:
Owners are now going to have to factor in raises when players hit these thresholds, no matter what their contract is at the time. While only about 13% of players are eligible for free agency under this new deal, this means that some crystal ball work will need to be completed by the owners when players are approaching free agency in a means to keep their players from leaving. Before, there was zero concern unless a contract was expiring.
From the players’ side:
The players may be happy about getting this included, but there’s a colossal elephant in the room with this: Young players are getting absolutely screwed in this deal. Granted, looking at a league like the NFL, sometimes players are waiting four to five years to get to free agency anyways (Think first round draft picks) and, considering they’re around 22 years old when coming into the league, that puts them around 26-27 anyways. In MLS, players are coming up through youth academies and may be signed onto the senior squad when they’re 18 or 19 years old. To have to wait eight years from that point is lunacy. If you’re going to do free agency, do it right and don’t screw over the youngsters.
MAXIMUM SALARY: Unknown
Surprisingly, there is absolutely no information about whether or not maximum salaries were increased beyond the currently level of $387,000 for non-Designated Players. We’ll have to wait to see if that was even touched.
DESIGNATED PLAYER LIMIT: Unknown
Currently, there are a maximum of three DPs allowed on one club. Rumors had been flying around most of last season about increasing that number to four, but there was nothing regarding this in the general announcement.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, what matters is that a deal got done. Both sides aren’t terribly happy with the deal. The owners reportedly voted 13-7 for the deal, while the players apparently had just enough of a majority required under their rules to pass. I think, in the long run, this is a stopgap until the next CBA, and that one will be entrenched in debate. For now, though, let’s enjoy the fact that MLS is back without a work stoppage.
We’ll cover this more in a future edition of “Upon Further Review.”
