USWNT players said that attorney Rich Nichols will "no longer serve as the union's counsel in contract negotiations with the U.S. Soccer Federation," according to Anne Peterson of the AP. The players' current CBA "runs through Saturday," and Nichols had represented the USWNT Players Association "in negotiations" for a new deal. Nichols became Exec Dir of the union in late '14. Neither the PA nor U.S. Soccer have "filed a 60-day notice of termination that is necessary for a work stoppage, meaning talks will continue into the new year" (AP, 12/28). In N.Y., Andrew Das notes no replacement has been named for Nichols, and U.S. Soccer "declined to comment on the leadership change." It was "unclear what his departure would mean for the team’s contract talks." Nichols was a "fierce advocate for the women in their equal pay dispute with the federation." The sides "had scheduled -- and then canceled -- about a half-dozen negotiating sessions this month." A U.S. Soccer official said that the federation's plan is to "continue to pay the players under the terms of the current deal until a new one is reached," or at least until one side "gives notice that it will walk away from the current one" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/29).
