It was announced on Monday that there had been a setback in the economic concessions’ agreement for 2020. Major League Soccer (MLS) came back against Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) and gave them 24 hours to respond. If they couldn’t come to an agreement the league would not let players resume playing. On late Tuesday, MLS and MLSPA came to an agreement.
MLSPA originally asked for a 7.5% reduction on their salaries to help with the economic impact that MLS has had. But MLS came back with an 8.75% salary cut offer. After the agreement, MLS and MLSPA landed on the 7.5% salary cut. This will start in the next pay period.
Players also agreed to a $5m cap on individual player bonuses for this season.
It was also agreed upon to resume the league. Players will be sent to Orlando in three weeks. The league gave the option to players to have the salary cut happen after playing in Orlando, but the salary cut will be the same regardless.
In February it was agreed upon to share the league revenue with the players. This was not ratified and MLS and MLSPA were trying to find a middle ground on how much will be shared. The original plan was to start at 25% in 2023.
However, with the economic impact MLS has had, this didn’t seem feasible. The league and MLSPA have landed on 12.5% in 2023 and then raise it to 25% the following year.
The teams will be sent to stay and play in Orlando for six weeks. For MLS’s sake, it should be hoped that fans can safely attend games. This would help with the economic relief for the league. However, that is still in the air with constantly changing regulations.
Although MLS and MLSPA have come to an agreement, they still have the option to back out within 30 days if the plan seems economically unfeasible.
