MLS Avoids Lockout; MLSPA Approves Return-To-Play Plan For 2020 Season

Major League Soccer is coming back.

The MLS Players Association announced Wednesday it has approved a proposal from the league, essentially avoiding a lockout, according to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle. The agreement features an adjusted collective bargaining agreement and altered economics for the 2020 season.

“MLS Players today ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which will run through the 2025 season,” the MLSPA said in a statement Wednesday. “Today’s vote also finalizes a plan to resume the 2020 season and provides players with certainty for the months ahead. It allows our members to move forward and continue to compete in the game they love.”

In three weeks, the league is expected to arrive at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. That’s where they’re expected to play out the remainder of the 2020 season, with a few changes, of course. (The NBA will be located there, as well.)

According to the report, a union source says the deal includes a 7.5 percent pay cut that’s set to kick in for the May 31 pay period. Players can choose to delay their cut until they get to Orlando, but they will be paid the same nonetheless.

Another key portion of the deal is the force majeure clause, allowing either side to opt out in the event of a catastrophic event, like a pandemic. The cause allows both sides 30 days’ notice to back out of the deal should the CBA become “economically unfeasible,” per the report.

Under the new agreement, the CBA has bee extended one year through Jan. 31, 2026. Other notable changes include modifications to the revenue-sharing plan for broadcasting rights in 2023, a $5 million cap on performance and individual bonuses and a one-year delay in salary bumps.

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