MLS, Players Union Agree To New CBA

MLS and the MLS Players Union agreed in principle to a new CBA today,
Saturday, March 20, 2010. MLS Commissioner Don Garber (left center) and MLS
Players Union Executive Director Bob Foose (right center) shake hands after the
joint announcement from the federal mediator's office in Washington, D.C.
Photo courtesy Jose Argueta/MLS.

If you aren't a soccer fanatic, you may not have realized that representatives from Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union had been meeting for weeks -- and, recently, hours -- on end to try and hammer out an agreement which would circumvent any delay of the 2010 season, slated to begin this Thursday, March 25.

Negotiations had heated up and grown more public in recent weeks as the deadline to save the season neared. But a pair of marathon bargaining sessions in last two days led to this afternoon's resolution, which the mediator who handled negotiations dubbed a "major victory for the process of collective bargaining." MLS hasn't released precise details of the agreement; but it appears as if more guaranteed contracts and compensation increases for players were a big part of the deal.

United defender Bryan Namoff, D.C.'s sharp-looking union representative, talked about the efforts involved in the negotiations. "After a grueling 48 hours, we're very fortunate to sign a document that we feel moving forward will improve not only the rights of players, but the relationship we have with the League," said Namoff in a statement. "Being able to come to an agreement before the season starts is a huge relief and we can now really concentrate on kicking-off the 2010 season this week."