MLS will "open its regular season on time" tomorrow night after the MLSPU "voted to approve" the league's latest CBA proposal, according to a front-page piece by Paul Tenorio of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. A source said that the new CBA "is a five-year deal that creates free agency for players 28 years of age or older, with at least eight years experience." The source added that a player's "raise through free agency is capped depending on salary." Players who are "making less than $100,000" can make up to 125% of their salary. Players making $100,000-$200,000 can make up to 120% and those making more than $200,000 "have a cap" of up to 115% of their current base. The new CBA "includes a minimum salary of $60,000, a substantial step up" from $36,500 last season. The minimum figure "will increase incrementally per year." The source said that there was "also an increase in the overall salary cap, though they could not immediately provide that number." Tenorio notes the deal comes at the "end of a tense standoff between the league and the players, with free agency and player compensation representing the two major sticking points" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/5). GOAL.com's Ives Galarcep reports there was a 12-7 vote "in favor of accepting" the league's terms. Sources said that seven teams that "voted to reject the league's last offer and strike" were the Red Bulls, Rapids, Impact, NYC FC, FC Dallas, Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake One of the 12 votes in "favor of accepting the new deal was cast by a team player representative whose teammates actually wanted to strike" (GOAL.com, 3/5). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes the deal "suggests that the league and its owner-investors decided that substantial changes were necessary to save, at the very least, the start of the new season." Two expansion teams, Orlando City SC and NYC FC, will "make their league debuts Sunday night in a nationally televised game on ESPN2 in front of more than 60,000 fans at the sold-out Citrus Bowl" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/5).
INSIDE THE DEAL: FS1's Julie Stewart-Binks in a series of tweets reported the "tipping point" was owners "moving away" from an eight-year CBA to five years. The players were "not 100%" on the economics of the deal and were not "popping champagne" once the deal was done. They wanted a higher minimum salary cap, but "didn't think" a strike would bring about a "better deal." The players see the CBA as a "building block" for the league. But for the most part, the "only thing" they are happy with is the five-year length of the deal, as eight years was a "deal breaker to strike." Players also were aware of the league's new eight-year, $720M media-rights deal with Fox and ESPN, and "didn't want to tie" the CBA to eight years in "growing [the] league" (TWITTER.com, 3/4). RSL G and player rep Nick Rimando said that talks lasted from 9:00am ET Monday through 12:30am Tuesday, 10:00am Tuesday to 5:30am Wednesday and from 10:00am-7:30pm yesterday "before initial details of the agreement were reported." Rimando "reiterated that the agreement is in principle and won't be finalized until it makes it through the legal process" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/5). MLS Commissioner Don Garber said of the players, "They’ve got more movement than they’ve had before, more than they probably thought we would provide when this league was launched. They’ll be making more money and have more benefits, and our owners will have stability and will have a system that will allow them to continue to invest very smartly and strategically so we can continue to build this league into one of the great soccer leagues in the world" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/4).
UNITED AS ONE: CSN Mid-Atlantic's Sebastian Salazar cited a source as saying that based off MLS' "last offer on Tuesday night, players voted 18 to 1 to strike." The league was "informed of the strike vote" yesterday morning (TWITTER.com, 3/4). RSL D Tony Beltran said that the union was "extremely united" throughout the process. When players voted last night, Beltran said that "no matter the outcome there would be no rift." Beltran: "The unanimous consensus in the room was that whatever the outcome of the vote would have been, in either way we were extremely united, and we were ready to stand behind the majority either way." In Utah, James Edward notes various reports "have indicated that the vote was far from unanimous, but it was enough to avoid" a strike (DESERET NEWS, 3/5). However, in Columbus, Adam Jardy cites a source as saying that a "lot of players across the league are unhappy with the deal." While awaiting word on details, a player not involved in the negotiations said that he "hoped the players used the leverage they had to improve the future of soccer" in the U.S. (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 3/5). DC United MF Chris Rolfe said the last days of negotiations were "very wearing and difficult.” In DC, Steven Goff notes Rolfe yesterday was "among dozens of players from around the league participating in the CBA meetings." Rolfe said of the deal, "It’s a win. The free agency is what we wanted. We’re happy to be playing, the season is going to continue and we will continue to grow" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/5).
STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle wrote it was a "significant victory" that the players managed to emerge with a limited form of free agency. The union "had long staked its position on the issue, and its players had threatened to strike if the new deal didn't contain at least a form of free agency." But progress "has come in a small increment, and the league can claim victory on the issue as well." It is estimated that only 10% of the league's players "will meet the free agency requirements." MLS also was "successful in making the costs of free agency somewhat predictable by establishing a tiered system in terms of free agent raises" (ESPNFC.com, 3/4). In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald noted the players "won free agency without having to sue the league to get it, which is almost unprecedented in American sports history." And they "got a huge raise in the minimum salary, which for years stood as one of the biggest black marks on MLS' labor practices." Keeping the CBA's term length to five years is also a "victory for the players." Tannenwald: "Is the deal perfect? Of course not. The 28/8 service time clause is a steep hill for many players to climb, especially academy products who turn pro at a young age." But RSL Owner Dell Loy Hansen last week vehemently denied "even the possibility of considering free agency." Hansen and other owners were "soundly defeated in that contest" (PHILLY.com, 3/4).
GOLDEN GOAL: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman writes under the header, "At Last, Soccer Comes To Its Senses." MLS and the union "avoided a dangerous fate." Owners and players "could have decided independently they had little to lose with a strike." Most MLS clubs "lose money, so owners stood to lose a lot less if games didn’t take place," and most players "make so little money that not playing wouldn’t result in giving up much" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/5). In Orlando, Mike Bianchi writes a work stoppage "would have ruined all the momentum and goodwill the MLS has built in ... soccer-stimulated league cities." It could have "potentially set the MLS back into the realm of Arena League Football" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/5). Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said, "Although we’re going into our 20th year in the league and everybody sees there’s been a lot of progress, it would also be very detrimental if we went into a work stoppage. There’s a lot of intelligent people on both sides, and I think everyone understands that we all have to work together to continue to make this league successful, not just today but in the future" (K.C. STAR, 3/5).
