Major League Soccer, players association tentatively agree to new collective bargaining agreement - Salt Lake Tribune

Major League Soccer and the league’s players association tentatively agreed Thursday to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement.

The agreement, which ends after the 2024 season, brings significant changes to player compensation, free agency, charter travel and several other areas the MLSPA felt were important to the control growth of the league.

“This agreement addresses key strategic priorities for the league and our players while also retaining the basic player compensation structure that has been the foundation for the growth and stability of Major League Soccer,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “We had constructive, positive discussions with the leadership of the MLSPA and the players’ bargaining committee during the negotiations over the last few months and I would like to thank them for their collaboration in concluding an agreement that will serve as the foundation for a new era of partnership with our players.”

Under the tentative agreement, which awaits ratification from the league’s Board of Governors and the MLSPA, players will now reach free agency much earlier — at 24 years old and at least five years of MLS service. Under the previous agreement, those numbers were 28 and 8.

Teams will also be allowed to spend more under the new CBA. A club will now be able to spend more than $11.6 million by 2024 — an increase from about $8.5 million in 2019 — in player salary for non-designated players. I

The agreement converts the $1.2 million clubs were given each season in targeted allocation money into general allocation money, giving teams more uses for it.

The minimum salary for a senior roster player will also increase through the life of the deal and culminate in $109,000 by 2024. For reserve players, that figure will increase over the same time span to $85,000.

In a historic move, the league and the players will for the first time share media revenue. The league’s current media right deal expires in 2022. When a new deal is reached, the league will “increase player spending by an amount equal to 25% of the increased media revenue above the amount generated by the league in 2022, plus $100 million,” the league says. That revenue sharing will start in 2023.

The league also significantly increased charter flights. Each team is now required to take eight charter legs in the 2020 season. The number of required legs will increase to 16 by 2024. In the previous CBA, it was up the team to decide whether it wanted to use its four allowed charter legs.

“This deal is the culmination of our efforts to engage players from every team to define our goals and push for real progress,” said Jeff Larentowicz, MLSPA Executive Board Member.

This story will be updated.