MLSPA Exec Dir Bob Foose said players are prepared for a work stoppage, though he does not expect the owners to lock out players immediately upon expiration of the current CBA next year. "We are certainly are prepared for a stoppage and have been working on that ... for several years," Foose said on a conference call with reporters on Thursday. "I would not anticipate they would lock us out." The CBA expires on Jan. 31. In other sports negotiations over the past 15 years, owners have locked players out the minute a CBA expired when the sides were far apart and the players have talked about striking. Foose said, "The league would have the power to lock us out on February 1. That hasn't been the construct of our prior negotiations; it hasn't be something they've talked about at the table this time, and, frankly, I don't think it's in their interest." The MLSPA is represented by law firm Sherman Dunn and the league is represented by Proskauer.
OUTLINING LIST OF DEMANDS: Foose and members of the MLSPA Exec Committee on Thursday touched on a wide range of topics, including players' need for chartered flights and their desire for a more meaningful free agency system. In the last CBA, players achieved free agency for the first time for players 28 or older with eight years of service. However, that system has "significant restrictions" on salary increases for free agents and also excludes a significant block of players from free agency, Foose said. "That system has a long way to go, and we want to see it opened up and we want to see substantial progress made toward a system of true unrestricted free agency at a much earlier point in players' careers. So that is the free agency discussion that is happening now," he said.
PLAYERS AWARE OF GROWTH: The players on the call -- Union MF Alejandro Bedoya, Rapids F Diego Rubio and Atlanta United D Jeff Larentowicz -- said they are keenly aware of the immense growth that MLS has experienced since '15 when the previous CBA was struck, even if most of the league's teams do not yet turn a profit. "We know the direction the league is going," Bedoya said. "It's all about the growth. We know the owners that are coming in, they're not just buying into MLS. It's a greater concept, they're also buying into SUM (Soccer United Marketing), the soccer landscape in this country and we just feel we need more of that revenue share amongst the players. We are ready for all that and we are standing our ground strongly. We're more prepared than ever before."
