Gentlemen,


Hiya fellas. Hope all is well as you work diligently to prepare yourselves for yet another Major League Soccer season. This will be the fifteenth, you know, and though that's not a long history, it's definitely a milestone to be celebrated.


This league has come a long way since it started back in '96. The clock counts up now for one thing, and wacky "Americanization" attempts are remnants of the past. It's more than just rules that have changed over that time, though; it's also the culture that MLS inhabits. Slowly but surely, the game of professional soccer in the United States (and Canada, too) has made inroads; the fans are starting to create something special in a lot of places, and more cities are lining up to join the movement every year.


A lot of that growth is thanks to you guys, of course. Without the efforts of players, many of whom might have been better compensated plying their trade abroad, there wouldn't be a league for us to love. So many of you and your brethren toiled in the early years of a league that was always on the verge of collapse, never knowing if the American sports landscape could support soccer after failing to so many times.


For that, I think, we have to forgive the architects of Major League Soccer for erring on the side of caution in the way they chose to operate. Restrictive of salaries almost to the point of ridiculousness, they've protected themselves and the league with a system that clearly borders on draconian in its function. I'm tempted to bring up that tired George Santayana quote, but I'll save you the lesson. Needless to say, MLS isn't ideal, at least from a player's standpoint, in the way it goes about its business. Many, perhaps most, and maybe all, of you believe it's time that system changed, or that the owners make some concessions to bring the league more in line with the rest of the world. Maybe you're right.

I wonder what you are thinking as you train with your teammates in Arizona, or Florida, or Spain, or wherever. I wonder, as you strive to get your body back into top playing shape and push yourself into exhaustion in the process, what is going through your mind. Can you really focus on the task at hand knowing that you might be walking out at any moment? Are you thinking about your families, or your rent, or where you might try to catch on for another playing job? Are you single-minded in your efforts to prepare for the MLS season, or have you already checked out knowing that there might not be a season?


I know that you're "fighting the good fight". I get that sometimes people have to make a stand. I support your right to take this situation to its farthest extreme if it's absolutely needed.


But while you vote on the question of striking, presumably over the free agency issue (thought since no one has any idea what the league really offered, perhaps it's about more than that), please remember that soccer in this corner of the world isn't a culturally-ingrained institution like baseball or football that can just pick back up where it left off when you guys finally return to the field. The sport here already has more than its share of scars, and though I get the sense you feel supremely justified in the threat to strike, a labor stoppage would add yet another wound. Would that wound be healed relatively easily, once MLS resumes, or would it remain, possibly becoming infected and ultimately killing off yet another league?


I know I'm talking in extremes there. I apologize for that. It's just that, well, I'm very nervous. Even if a strike isn't a death blow for MLS, it certainly can't help it grow. Red Bull Arena is a shining jewel of a stadium, ready to become the premier soccer facility in the United States, and it may sit empty. The Philadelphia Union are fired up, ready to play, come with a rabid fan base that is ready to unleash their unique Philly brand of passion on American soccer, and might not get to. Those are just two of the more high-profile issues that that a strike brings up, with nothing said about the rest of the rising tide of support that's sweeping the league.

Growth means more money, which should mean more stability, which certainly should result in a better deal for the players. You'd be hard pressed to find an MLS fan that doesn't back you in that fight, at least to a point.


But more than anything, MLS fans want their teams to play. They want to go out to their stadium on a Saturday and watch you pour your heart out for a victory. They want to fly the banners, sing the songs, bang the drums, and revel in the sense of camaraderie that comes with supporting their club in the greatest sport in the world. The club you play for and the work you do is a massive part of their lives. A strike would take that away from them.


I won't tell you not to strike. It's not my place to do so, nor would I want you to think I completely agree with the way that MLS is run. I see your side of things, and I know that the decision to strike is not taken lightly.


I just hope you guys know what you're doing.


Best of luck, boys, whether it be in your efforts to force the league's hand (which I'm guessing would mean soccer without interruption) or just trying to be the best you can out on the field.


Cheers,

Jason Davis, a Major League Soccer fan