MLS, Players Union agree to new CBA
Press conference live blog

Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Association have jointly scheduled a press conference at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. The event will feature MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS Players Union executive director Bob Foose, as well as George Cohen, the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and its players is almost certain to be announced.

I’ll be live blogging the event here, on Center Line Soccer, beginning at 9:55. And now, everyone — exhale!

9:55 — After Tuesday’s marathon San Jose City Council session, this will be my second live blog of the week. Hmm, city council meetings and labor negotiations — that’s odd. I thought I covered soccer.

10:03 — And we’re off! Oops — or not. MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche is on the line to announce that the conference call won’t officially begin for another five to seven minutes. He adds that they are conducting the call from Washington, DC, which has been the negotiating site.

10:07 — While I’m listening to the music on hold, I’ll add that Courtemanche mentioned that there are over 100 journalists on the call. Kind of surprising considering how little press coverage the CBA talks have received.

10:12 — We’re off, for real.

10:13 —  Opening comments from Garber, Foose, and Cohen up first. The deal is done — “A great way for MLS to start its 15th season,” says Garber. New deal is for five years.

10:14 — Garber continues, complimenting everyone involved. Says the players will get more money, greater rights, more ability to move if they’re out of contract. Also pledges that MLS front office and MLSPU will work more closely and cooperatively in the future.

10:19 — Bob Foose of the MLSPU is up now, thanking their lead attorney and lead player rep, Eddie Pope. Foose notes that the players were united in seeking fundamental changes to the CBA and that the agreement is “a testament to everyone’s professionalism and character.” Reiterates the “players’ rights” theme that the union used throughout the negotiations.

10:21 — Majority of players in MLS will now have guaranteed contracts — this is a big win for the union. Players will also have greater ability to move freely, but there are no details about what that statement really means.

10:23 — George Cohen, the federal mediator, is up. He lauds negotiators on both sides and the ability of all involved to communicate with each other. He is clearly geeked out about the whole process — you can see why he’s in the mediation business.

10:29 — We’re on to the Q and A. First Q is about free agency. Garber says that players won’t be free to move within the league, but they are creating a “re-entry draft” which will allow out-of-contract veterans a new way to switch teams. Foose notes that this is a compromise but “as a whole, we are very pleased with the agreement that has been struck.”10:32 — Next question is “What took so long?” Foose explains that the collective bargaining process is typically driven by deadlines, so he’s not surprised by the length of negotiations. He also notes that all the time spent together has paid dividends in the final agreement.

10:33 — Garber is asked to tell the tale of the last few days. He tells of marathon sessions after the player reps flew in on Thursday. They don’t have much in the way of amusing anecdotes, though — they sound exhausted, although also proud of their accomplishments. The big laugh line finally comes from Cohen, who explains that these sorts of negotiations typically involve “boring people,” and that his challenge was in trying to humanize Garber and Foose — a task such great magnitude that everyone should appreciate it. A negotiator with a sense of humor is a definite plus.

10:37 — They are asked about details on player compensation, the re-entry draft, and whether players who leave MLS will still be tied to the teams they leave. Foose explains that “players’ compensation has been improved significantly from the union’s perspective,” but they decline to reveal any details on the other issues.

10:45 — OK, now they’re starting to rehash things that have already been addressed. But wait! A new question is being asked about increases in the salary cap — maybe we’ll get a concrete answer on that.

10:48 — Nope. Garber says the cap is going up but reiterates the idea that the details will not be released right away. To be fair, the agreement was signed less than an hour ago.

10:49 — Seattle and Toronto, Garber reports, were the only teams to generate a profit last year. No mention of whether that includes owners’ shares of SUM, which I suspect is a cash cow.

10:51 — Down to the last few questioners. Everyone seems to be looking for more specific details.  Garber explains that part of why they aren’t going into things in depth is because individual MLS front offices don’t have all the details yet. Hard to argue that they shouldn’t get them first.

10:54 — Another question regarding free agency, asking for details. Garber says the key point is that MLS is still a single entity league, so there will be no bidding between MLS clubs for the same player — and declines to go into great details, although Foose indicates that there are significant changes to the way teams hold rights to players after they are out of contract. (This may or may not apply to players who leave MLS for other leagues.)

10:58 — Landon Donovan is making a statement now — complimenting everyone involved on their commitment and professionalism and, perhaps more importantly, indicating that he thinks the progress made in the relationship between the owners and players will create dividends for years to come.

11:00 — That’s all, folks. Eight hours to San Jose/Portland at Buck Shaw. See you there!