Monday, January 4, 2010

Thoughts on the MLS labor negotiations

Kasey Keller has written on his website that Management and Labor are far apart in the MLS labor negotiations. Keller states that MLS anticipates a lockout, and has set a probable lockout date of February 1st.

http://kaseyslastline.com/

So maybe better a league with single-entity than no league at all.

I have the feeling that there isn't a tremendous amount of wiggle room on this one, and that the best that the Player's Union can hope for is a slightly expanded salary cap. I doubt it will be a very large increase. The minimum developmental salary does need to be more than the roughly $12,900 and $17,200 that I think is the going rate just now. If they could get the minimum up to, say, $30,000 it would be competitive with many professional starting salaries in non-sports jobs.

Jordan Cila opted to leave his MLS club in New York, retiring in 2006, because he accepted a position as an interest rate derivative analyst for Goldman Sachs.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jordan-cila/4/576/1a8

I wonder how many others like him have had to make similar choices since MLS was founded?

As far as guaranteed contracts and players leaving on a truly "free" transfer within MLS...I don't think the league would grant that, even if they could.

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