Players left bitter after agreeing to restart MLS
Major League Soccer and its players came away with a sense of accomplishment after reaching a new collective-bargaining agreement in February as the league was heading into its 25th season.
“I think coming out of February both sides felt good,” Seattle player representative Harry Shipp said. “It was this productive partnership where we took 18 months to figure out what was going on, what both sides needed, and we really worked to make common ground.“
Those pre-pandemic positive vibes are largely now gone, at least when it comes to the way players feel toward the league and ownership.
The Major League Soccer Players Association ratified a revised CBA this week that will allow the league to resume this summer with a tournament in Florida — but they did so with bitter feelings about the strategies used by MLS. Specifically, they are upset about the league’s posture and the threat of a potential lockout that would have left players without salary and benefits in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were open. We wanted to make a collaborative process. We wanted to make it something that was good for everyone in an incredibly difficult circumstance,” said Jeff Larentowicz, an Atlanta United defender and a member of the union’s executive board. “To make that threat on the heels of them asking for collaboration and an open discussion to find a way to get through a difficult time, it really doesn’t sit well with me at all. I’m not one to hold grudges, and it’s a difficult process, but it’s going to take me a bit of time to get past that myself.”
Larentowicz was not alone in his criticism of the threat. Players were already concerned about leaving families behind and sequestering themselves in Florida — likely for most of July — to play in the full-league tournament that will restart a season placed on pause after just two games. That doesn’t even touch on the concerns about the coronavirus or the measures that players and the league will need to take to protect themselves from the virus during the Florida event.
Commissioner Don Garber acknowledged he was the one who threatened the lockout in the hope it would push the players toward an agreement. He said the league is set to lose $1 billion because of the coronavirus.
The union had voted to approve terms of a contract last Sunday, but the league surprised many by pushing back. The sticking points included salary cuts, a reduction in revenue sharing beginning in 2023, and a provision that allows either side to opt out of the deal because of unforeseen circumstances, like a pandemic. MLS players had a median salary of $163,750 in 2019, according to the union salary survey.