MLS, MLSPA reach tentative agreement for new CBA

Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Association have reached an agreement for a new collective bargaining agreement, both sides announced Friday evening. If approved, the deal will allow MLS to avoid what would have been the first work stoppage in league history.

The tentative agreement must still be ratified by the full MLS player pool, with a vote to take place over the weekend. In a statement, MLS said that the new CBA will cover the next seven seasons, from 2021 through 2027. 

A lockout appeared very much on the table earlier this week, as owners put the pressure on the players to come to terms before 11:59 p.m. on Friday. The original deadline of Thursday night was extended as negotiations progressed. 

MLS launched this round of CBA talks, the third such dispute of the past year, in late December when the owners opted to invoke a force majeure clause that was placed in the CBA during the last round of negotiations in June. The league claimed that it was facing a second-straight year of financial losses attributed to COVID-19, and sought more than $100 million in concessions from the MLSPA.

The owners appear to have accomplished their main goal of extending the CBA by two years to 2027. According to several reports, the players got a few added incentives in return. 

The agreement sets the stage for the 2021 season to begin as scheduled on April 3, with the players set to report to preseason training on Feb. 22.