MLS to begin April 3; title game on Dec. 11

Major League Soccer will open the next season on April 3 and conclude with the MLS Cup title game on Dec. 11. Teams will be allowed to start preseason camps on Feb. 22.

But the announcement Monday came amid ongoing uncertainty about the coronavirus pandemic and whether fans will be able to attend games, especially at the start of the season.

As a result, the league has invoked the agreement’s “force majeure” clause to reopen negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement.

The league and the players’ union had two difficult negotiations a year ago — one in February before the start of the season, and a second in June when players took a pay cut in order to resume the 2020 season.

Earlier this month, MLS proposed paying the players their full salaries this season in exchange for a two-year extension of the current CBA. The Major League Soccer Players Union countered that it would not be rushed into negotiations.