Via telephone conference call yesterday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his annual "State of the League Address" in which he covered all manner of issues related to Major League Soccer and took questions from some of North America's most prominent soccer journalists. Some of what The Don said was worth comment, and some of it was typical Commish-speak; following is the important bits related to the CBA, with my thoughts. Subsequent posts should be forthcoming addressing Garber's statements on other issues (expansion, parity, CCL, stadiums).
Of most interest to me, was Garber's statement on the current standing of CBA negotiations between the owners and the players union:
"I expect this will be a difficult agreement to finalize, but I am very confident that we will be able to reach a productive agreement with our players," Garber said. "I know that both we and the union are committed to do that."
"We, the league, will not agree to a CBA that will negatively impact our ability to continue to grow this sport in the United States and Canada," Garber said. "We've been very committed to doing that and quite successfully, I might add, for the last 14 years and we're not going to compromise any of the key issues that we're discussing confidentially within this agreement in order to avoid a stoppage."
Garber also made sure to shoot down any notion that the players might strike; the timetable for such talk is "totally premature" according to the commissioner. Garber specifically pointed out a piece on the CBA negotiations by Shawn Mitchell of the Columbus Dispatch, questioning some of the statements made there. Mitchell was involved in the conference call, and attempted to ask a question regarding the FIFA legality of MLS player contracts; Garber had previously stated strongly that the league believes their contract to be FIFA-compliant, and cut off Mitchell before he finished.
The issue of contract structure is at the crux of the CBA negotiations. The players want change, something that is at the top of their demand list. The league continues to maintain that they're going to push for a continuation of the status quo. Mitchell's question, one which Garber attempted to deflect before it was asked, revolves around Article 16 of FIFA's "Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players" and reads, "A contract cannot be unilaterally terminated during the course of a season."
There's much more to it than that, of course, and so I'm hesitant to take a stance either way on MLS contracts and their compliance, as I'm not a lawyer. I can't imagine that MLS would continue to operate with FIFA-illegal contract, which make me inclined to take the commissioner at his word.
The Commissioner's words seem strong, but remember that he's not saying anything to the press that the players don't already know. It's public posturing, a bunch of bluster intended to remind the reporters and the public that MLS was built on financial restraint and will not be straying from that path anytime soon. I have no problem with this, and I doubt the Union is overly concerned about Garber's statement on the matter. The issue of contract structure, and whether or not they are FIFA-compliant, is a stickier issue, one at the center of the next CBA.
I also agree that any talk of a work stoppage, idle threat or not, is entirely premature and potentially damaging to both the negotiations and the league's image. MLS fans do not want to hear that a strike or lockout is even possible, and clubs trying to sell season tickets for 2010 don't need the negative press and the specter of a delayed start hanging over them.
The new CBA is, and this is no exaggeration, the most important bit of business in the history of the league. Not only will its structure help determine the direction of MLS for the near future once it's completed, it simply must be agreed upon and in a timely manner. A strike or lockout would wipe away much of the progress made by the league in recent years and seriously threaten the future of top-flight professional soccer in the US.
