Hey everybody,
Hopefully everyone has made it through that nice stretch of cold weather. I was very glad we didn’t have to train those days. I don’t mind training when it is cold, but diving around on frozen ground isn’t a lot of fun. It reminds me of a time when I was playing in Spain. The end of November one year, we had a UEFA Cup game in Moscow. The night of the game the temperature got down to -16 degrees Celsius so that’s around 3 degrees, not your warmest night for a match. The pitch was as hard as concrete and the Spanish players had so many layers on it was amazing they could run at all. To warm up at half -time they started a fire in a garbage can in the locker room. It wasn’t quite that cold here the other day, but it was nice that I wasn’t out diving around.
Before I forget, I want to wish Sebastian all the success in Philly. He will be missed. Seba gave everything he had every time he stepped on the field. Players that have his kind of commitment are always wanted, and it was no surprise to me when The Union took him in the expansion draft. It is just unfortunate in this league that players can be traded in this way, and that the team can’t protect everyone. I wish him all the best with his new team and this new chapter in his career.
You will probably start to read more and more about the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that is up at the end of the month. Negotiations have been under way between the players union and MLS for some time now. I wish I could report that we were close to signing an agreement, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. As players we have been told of a probable lockout date of Feb. 1st. What’s most disappointing to me is, this isn’t a negotiation for a bunch of players wanting 8 million a year instead of 7 million a year. The main points revolve around us being given the same rights under FIFA as the rest of the players around the world. As an MLS player you have to sign away your FIFA rights before you are allowed to sign your contract. We would like a moderate rise in the salary cap, but the major points for the players are: guaranteed contracts, free agency, and the right to negotiate with other MLS teams. These are some of the basic rights the players in all the other leagues around the world have that we have to sign away. With the huge strides MLS has made since the last CBA this seems very reasonable. I would hate to see anything get in the way of the great success of the Sounders had this year, and the respect we earned in our first year as a franchise. I would think that MLS and US Soccer would be proud to announce that the sport has developed so greatly in the last few years that we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world.
Kasey
That’s not too much to ask. I think it’s ridiculous that teams hold rights after contracts are up
Another great thing about the Sounders that maybe people dont realize… last year would there have been enough attention on the league for people to care about this? I dont think so. I think this group and our city have shined a light on the league and they are going to be under a bit more pressure to work with the players. Nobody with any sense outside of the owners of MLS can look at this situation and not agree with the players here.
Kasey I hope this gets worked out before the opening season… but man I back you guys if you gotta go to extremes here.
Good luck with the CBA. What’s strange about this is that it doesn’t even seem to me that this is just about what players want but what is good for the league. How do we expect the best to play here if these changes aren’t made?
Sad to see Seba go and really not looking forward to seeing him back here in the first match wearing someone else’s kit.
Good to hear from you again Kasey!
I certainly hope an agreement can be made before things get ugly because the MLS cannot afford this internal dispute. There are not enough fans and money yet for sheer momentum to carry the MLS through a serious dispute. It would be very bad for the league if this is not resolved quickly.
Need any help with your remodel?
Stick to your guns on the CBA. Don’t forget the Bosman ruling took years. I’d hate to have a strike but the league needs to give more equity to players (and fans).
Thank you so much for everything you’ve done in your career.
Regarding the lockout: I hope that the media starts to run with this and point out the illegal way that MLS has been operating for years. When I tell people how MLS is a monopoly and which players make 20-40k they are shocked.
NFL has managed to have free-agency a salary cap, and the much-hyped parity that Garber wants so bad. Soccer fans in the US need to know that we are killing the next generation of soccer talent by having such a dysfunctionally run league.
PLEASE keep speaking out Kasey, you’ll always been the #1 US keeper of all time to me. (sorry Brad)
Casey,
I hope this is not the case, MLS has come so far and I am really looking forward to the opening of Redbull Arena, this is so fustrating for any fan. Don Garber, please DO SOMETHING about it. I really look forward to the new season, this lockout can’t and will not happen.
We’ve got your back Kasey. Like Ian says, stick to your guns. MLS shouldn’t be any different from any other league in the world following FIFA rules.
Fantastic work. You have gained a new reader. I hope you can keep up the good work and I await more of the same absorbing posts.
Love your comments Mr Keller.
I’ve been following the league since day one, been to too many matches to count, and absolutely look forward to MLS starting on time in 2010. However, if it comes to a lockout, then I understand. I feel like MLS is being less than honorable in their approach to players. What the players are asking for is pretty basic, in MANY professions. MLS has, at this point, rooted itself into American sports and is poised to grow. If a lockout hinders this growth, MLS has only itself to blame. Good luck Kasey, the fans are behind you!
The MLS has a long and sordid history of mistreating players.
This is the exact reason that the best and brightest young Americans leave to play in Europe. Not only do they get paid what they’re worth, they retain the basic rights afforded to them by FIFA.
Kenny Cooper found out the hard way recently how the league deals with issues like this.
There are several young Americans that are hesitant to come back because the league is resentful that they were passed over for Europe and offers lowball salaries (read – League Minimum … 34K/yr) when they offer to come back.
As a big fan of the game around the world, and a big fan of MLS, I will stand with the players on this, whatever they decide. If it comes to a strike, so be it. You’re right to point out that this isn’t an issue of millionaires wanting more, but a genuine need for better salaries for what I would call “the working poor”. On some level, being paid to play soccer is a great privilege, but you should be paid real money, not the peanuts many of these professionals make. Hell, I make a decent wage working in an office, and I make more than most MLS players. It’s kinda sad.
A better CBA will lead to better footie and a stronger league, especially as it tries to recruit young foreigners with talent.
Stick to your guns!
While this could set back MLS and soccer in the US in general in ANY year, this could be disastrous in a World Cup year. FIFA would also not look favorably on the US bid for 2018. In fact I think they are about ready to tell MLS to grow up… The league has done well since it’s inception, but it’s now time to be competitive in terms of attracting (and keeping) the best players. What the players are asking is incredibly reasonable and will be beneficial to the league if MLS would stop clinging to it’s worn out laurels and become proactive about making a new system work to everyone’s advantage.
Kasey I understand what the players want, and that FIFA rights, not money, are at the front of these discussions. While I think you shouldn’t back down on guaranteed contracts, I’m concerned that the league may still be too young for free agency and/or free MLS movement. If I ran the league even I probably wouldn’t give you the last two items this CBA cycle because of my concern that the “marquee” teams in MLS could turn the league into a traveling circus similar to the NASL. Do you think you’d feel the same way if you played for a smaller market team?
Nevertheless, I hope things work out well because a strike would be devastating in a World Cup year.
As I mentioned on the SoundersFc Forum this might be the time to discuss changing the current MLS refing system so the players and Coaches could Black Ball MLS referees
who are substandard. I felt along with thousand of others our game tickets were wasted by the poorly officiated games.
I know Kasey you can’t comment on the refing we got especially that Houstin Playoff Game! but if there was anyway to include changing it to like the College leagues where you could Black Ball the “Ref Logics” and save the Fans, Players and Coaches a lot of pain.
I think the players requests are reasonable. Free agency alone can’t drive up salaries due to the salary cap and low minimum salaries. As long as the cap holds fairly low, the owners should be willing to give free agency. The guaranteed contract issue seems like a basic right for someone putting their body in harms way for their job.
Personally, I think the players might do better focusing on earning an increase in the minimum salaries. It’s the owners’ ability to hire a new guy for $20k that gives them courage in negotiating with the experienced rank-and-file player.
In other words, even with free agency, solid MLS vets will keep leaving for Scandanavia to get a decent paycheck and getting replaced by kids willing to play for nothing.
(IANAL disclaimer) Does MLS have an antitrust exemption? I can see the single entity structure being acceptable without it but not holding player rights after contract expiration! Signed paper or not, American law does not allow one to agree to an illegal act–e.g., you cannot sign a contract which says I can beat you senseless.
I have only the highest hopes for MLS’ success (despite the horrid way San Jose fans were treated when the ‘Dynamo’ ran away) but treating players like product and not people is never good.
Kasey, we’re behind you!
Actually,good post. thx