Inter Miami players skip practice, lockout possible as MLS players, league reach impasse
Major League Soccer appeared to have taken another step toward re-starting when the MLS Players Association announced Sunday night that it had approved a proposal including economic concessions, pay cuts across the board, and resumption of the season with a summer tournament in Orlando.
The package was submitted to league owners for approval. If the owners accept the offer, all 26 teams would likely convene in Orlando in late-June, be sequestered at a Disney resort, tested regularly for coronavirus, and compete in a World Cup-style tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports that is expected to last through July, at which point teams would return to home markets.
But the two sides reportedly reached an impasse over a few items, and Inter Miami players -- and other players around the league -- skipped Monday’s training sessions as negotiations continued. ESPN reported that league owners don’t want to budge and have threatened a lockout. Monday was the first day Inter Miami was going to hold voluntary small-group workouts at its Fort Lauderdale training grounds. Nearly all their players had participated in individual workouts the past few weeks.
An MLS spokesman said the league was not yet ready to comment on the MLSPA proposal.
“This evening, MLS players voted to approve a package of economic concessions for the 2020 season, modifications to the recently agreed-upon CBA, including its extension by a year, and their agreement to participate in a summer tournament in Orlando,” read the MLSPA’s Sunday statement.
“Included were salary reductions across the entire player pool, reduced team and individual bonuses, and additional concessions to existing and future terms of the CBA. While a difficult vote in incredibly challenging times, it was taken collectively to ensure that players can return to competition as soon as they are safely able to do so. The package has been formally submitted to the league for a decision by the owners.”
No details were divulged. The league had proposed 20 percent pay cuts across the board at one point, but the players’ union was seeking less of a cut.
Inter Miami goalkeeper and captain Luis Robles, a member of the MLSPA executive board, said two weeks ago: “We have a huge range of salaries, so 10 percent affects guys very differently. Some guys are single, some have six kids. You consider different guys in different markets where it costs more to live than other areas of the country where it does not cost so much. The economics are complicated.”
Most teams have been hosting individual training for a few weeks. On Thursday MLS loosened restrictions and began allowing small-group workouts.
Under the agreed-upon return plan, the teams would stay in Orlando for four to six weeks. At that point, depending on the status of COVID-19-related restrictions, teams would return to their home stadiums to play the remainder of their games. The league’s goal is to play as many games as possible and is willing to push MLS Cup back into December, or even later, if need be.
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.