MLS: players approve new collective agreement

The Major League Soccer (MLS) Players Association and the Circuit Board of Governors have approved the new collective agreement.

The two entities made the announcement in separate press releases on Monday.

Concretely, the new employment contract will run until the conclusion of the 2027 season and ensures players to be paid 100% of their salary for the 2021 campaign.

In addition, MLS has made a change regarding free agents. From the 2026 season, those over 24 who have a minimum of four years of experience in the Garber circuit will be entitled to their full autonomy.

The minimum wage for athletes will also increase during this agreement.

Recall that the last collective agreement of the MLS was approved in January 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic had caused major upheavals. The Garber circuit had also invoked the force majeure clause for changes to be made.

The union thanks its representatives

In its letter, the Players’ Association took the time to thank those who enabled athletes to obtain this new employment contract.

« [Nous] want to thank our executive board and our bargaining committee who have worked extremely hard over the past six weeks to represent and protect the interests of their teammates, ”the union wrote.

“The MLS players have made huge sacrifices and faced great challenges over the past year in order to continue to do their jobs during this difficult time for all.”

For his part, Commissioner Don Garber underlined the contribution of both camps in connection with the pandemic.

“We have worked together to deal with the continued impact of COVID-19 on the league and we appreciate the effort of the players in building a collective agreement that addresses the uncertainty of the pandemic, while ensuring stability, ”said the leader.

The top soccer league in North America plans to kick off its 2021 campaign on April 3. There are still several issues to settle, including the fate of Canadian teams like CF Montreal.