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MLS Strike?

kc78

Seminole Insider
Nov 25, 2002
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Does anyone have any new information regarding the possibility of the MLS strike this year? I am excited about the start of the season this weekend and watching Kaka in Orlando, but it is seeming more and more certain that there isn't going to be a season, at least not this weekend. Does anyone know any more?

I personally think it would be disastrous for both the players and the league to have much of a work stoppage this year as this is the first year the league is actually going to get credible coverage. If it starts with a strike, even if I agree with the player's position, I think it kills all the momentum the league is getting. I think it would be better for both sides to agree to a one year extension with just the salary increase with an agreement to continue discussing it through next off season.
 
Looks like they made a deal. 5 years, 28+ and 8 years in the league for free agency with a $60k minimum salary are the first details I've seen. I've seen a few tweets from former players blasting the union agreeing to it. 7 teams voted against these terms.

Linkage
 
So, are the only sports leagues that continually threaten to strike located here in the USA? It seems like almost every year there is one professional sport or another that is having a CBA dispute and threatening a strike or lockout. I don't ever recall hearing the same with any of the European Soccer leagues.
 
The MLS player contracts were spectacularly bad aside from the Designated Players. It made sense when the league had little exposure, high risk, and very small profits. However the league is very stable, and coming off of the world cup they just signed a big tv contract with ESPN for the next several years, so they have a lot more money and a lot more exposure. It was time to give back to the players.

The league was willing to give the players a raise, but they did not want to allow Free Agency. For all intents and purposes, once a team has your rights, they own them for perpetuity until they sell them to another team. So while you signed a contract to play for a certain amount, you didn't have options for most players to pick who you wanted to play for in the league after that contract expired, you had to go wherever the team told you to go.

They have now given a decent raise (The minimum salary is now up to 60,000 a year over the 32,000 it was last year) and there is limited free agency. Players who are 28 years or older, and have at least 8 years of experience can have free agency, but there are caps on how large their salary increase can be when moving to another team. Its a good start for getting the MLS into the idea of free agency while still protecting investments that teams make especially into youth players. I think the age probably needs to be dropped to 25 and 5 years of experience, but that's about it.
 
The MLS player contracts were spectacularly bad aside from the Designated Players. It made sense when the league had little exposure, high risk, and very small profits. However the league is very stable, and coming off of the world cup they just signed a big tv contract with ESPN for the next several years, so they have a lot more money and a lot more exposure. It was time to give back to the players.

The league was willing to give the players a raise, but they did not want to allow Free Agency. For all intents and purposes, once a team has your rights, they own them for perpetuity until they sell them to another team. So while you signed a contract to play for a certain amount, you didn't have options for most players to pick who you wanted to play for in the league after that contract expired, you had to go wherever the team told you to go.

They have now given a decent raise (The minimum salary is now up to 60,000 a year over the 32,000 it was last year) and there is limited free agency. Players who are 28 years or older, and have at least 8 years of experience can have free agency, but there are caps on how large their salary increase can be when moving to another team. Its a good start for getting the MLS into the idea of free agency while still protecting investments that teams make especially into youth players. I think the age probably needs to be dropped to 25 and 5 years of experience however.
 
Certainly not. There are far too many players who were having to work second jobs, however the MLS wasn't trying to be world class a few years back, they were just looking for viewers. If they can gain viewers over the next 5 years with ESPN pushing them as well, then hopefully the next CBA can push things further towards being a valid sport league. It needs to get an even larger tv contract than it has now for that to occur.
 
The owners need to spend more on player salaries. They spend less than pretty much any other sports league looking at salaries as a percent of revenues. I think they should view compensation as a long-term development tool.
 
Supposed to be 60k for the MLS opener for Orlando City this weekend.. at the Citrus Bowl..
 
They released an additional 2000 standing room only seats which immediately sold out. I think they could have gotten at least another 10,000 if they had room for them. Would have been nice to break LA's record, but I'll be happy with a sold out 62,000. I was planning on going at the last minute, but found out all tickets were sold out, so I'll be watching from my couch.
 
Now it looks like the state won't give the 30 million needed to finish building the new soccer stadium in orlando. MLS said to be in MLS you have to have a soccer stadium. So if the state doesn't give the 30 million orlando city will go back to the minor league soccer. Which sucks.
 
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Now it looks like the state won't give the 30 million needed to finish building the new soccer stadium in orlando. MLS said to be in MLS you have to have a soccer stadium. So if the state doesn't give the 30 million orlando city will go back to the minor league soccer. Which sucks.

I find this interesting; I've never heard that they had to have a soccer specific stadium. Interesting in that Atlanta's team is 2 years away, and scheduled to play in Arthur Blank's New Playroom, aka the new Falcons Stadium. I've not heard a single word about them building a different soccer specific facility. They have a potential one at the Silverbacks complex, which Blank also owns, and is right in the heart of all the youth soccer of the metro area. Be interesting to see what happens.
 
I find this interesting; I've never heard that they had to have a soccer specific stadium. Interesting in that Atlanta's team is 2 years away, and scheduled to play in Arthur Blank's New Playroom, aka the new Falcons Stadium. I've not heard a single word about them building a different soccer specific facility. They have a potential one at the Silverbacks complex, which Blank also owns, and is right in the heart of all the youth soccer of the metro area. Be interesting to see what happens.

Something is not right with that statement. Maybe Orlando had to, because you don't have to have an MLS specific stadium to field a team. Seattle, NE, DC, NYC FC, and Vancouver play in mult-use stadiums. A few are in talks for new soccer-specific stadiums, but I've never seen where it is required.
 
This is what was told to orlando. I can't say what other cities were told. But the owner of Orland city only put a pro team in orlando if a stadium is built. Orlando has 85 million ready. The state is suppose to give 30 million but now it doesn't look like it's going to happen and ucf downtown campus is prob not going to happen.
 
There's a great deal of misinformation in that. Orlando does have to have a soccer specific stadium. It was part of what they were required to create to be able to come in. New York City also has to have one within a few years. The Falcons are building a multi-use facility, but one that is built in a conversion format, so that for all intents and purposes the stadium transforms into a soccer stadium for those games. Orlando will have a soccer specific stadium with or without the 30 million dollars. Unfortunately if they don't get it, many of the amenities will simply have to be removed. I'm sure that MLS will give them a few years on building it as well if it is required, however the state is being a dick about this and have decided to play politics. It had already been agreed to and now they're wanting to change the terms. Doesn't help that the house chose not to do their job this year and just quit early with many outstanding bills still out there. This isn't a political forum so can't get into that much here, but its quite frustrating all around.
 
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