South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Robles praises efforts in CBA deal after being singled out
Inter Miami CF goalkeeper Luis Robles wants to ensure everyone knows Major League Soccer’s return to play isn’t just on him.
During a conference call with reporters after the MLS Players Association and the league’s owners agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, MLS commissioner Don Garber singled out Robles and commended him for his leadership during negotiations, even referring to Robles as the president of the MLSPA.
Robles — who’s a member of the MLSPA executive board, not the president — called the compliments “unfair” to all the other players who worked hard during negations in an Instagram post and praised the collective efforts to make the deal possible.
“I did what I could to deflect, because there are 85 guys on the bargaining committee that devoted a lot of their time to stand up for the players,” Robles said. “At the next rung, you have seven guys who make up the executive committee. There’s no president, and there’s never been a president. At this point, I don’t see necessarily see there being for us having one, because that board works well together as a team.”
The agreement on a new CBA prevented the players from being locked out, which Garber acknowledged he was going to do on behalf of the owners if a deal wasn’t finalized.
“We understand in the negotiation process there are going to be a lot of different tactics used for sides to arrive at what they see to be an acceptable deal,” Robles said. “They decided to use a tactic that was not welcomed by a lot of people. The most important thing is we were able to separate our emotions from the process and focus on putting together the best proposal possible that allows the players to get back to doing what they do best and that’s perform on the
field.
“My hope is the wounds from this process can heal over time and develop into an actual partnership. Without that, I don’t think the league reaches its full potential.”
Now, with the CBA ratified and a return-to-play format agreed to, Robles and Inter Miami can turn their attention to preparing for the tournament the league plans to host at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
While Garber didn’t provide too many details about the tournament because he said they were still being finalized, Inter Miami and the other 25 MLS teams will reportedly play three group-stage matches that’ll count toward the regular-season standings. Those games will be followed by a 16-team knockout stage with The Athletic’s Pablo Maurer and Jeff Rueter tweeting that the winner of the tournament will receive an automatic CONCACAF Champions League berth.
Robles said the opportunity to not only play again as a team but also win a game — something it didn’t do in its first two matches before the season was suspended — are motivators for the team.
“The incentive is to continue the journey that started from the moment I signed, personally, to the journey that dates back to the moment [co-owner and president of soccer operations] David Beckham activated his [ownership] clause,” Robles said. “We haven’t won a game yet. That’s going to be historic — when we win our first game.
“In our minds we’re developing a winning culture, [but] our results haven’t said that. That’s something that we have to rectify right away. We want that process to continue and we want it to culminate in not only victories, but trophies. And the only way we can do that is to get back onto the field and if Orlando is that then that’s what it’s going to be — an opportunity to continue for us to that journey.”