New on Sports Illustrated: MLS, Players Association Agree to New CBA Through 2024

MLS's 25th season will go on as planned, with the league and players agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement.

Last time, there were federal mediators, there was a players’ vote to strike, and the first weekend of the 2015 MLS season—if not more—was in significant jeopardy. In comparison, these collective bargaining agreement negotiations were a cordial, cooperative breeze.

MLS and the MLS Players Association on Thursday morning announced that they have reached “an agreement in principle” on a new, five-year CBA that will run through the 2024 season. It’ll still need to be formally approved by the league and union, but progress was sufficient to prompt commissioner Don Garber to say that the deal “addresses key strategic priorities for the league and our players,” and “will serve as the foundation for a new era of partnership.”

The key points include increased player salary spending, expanded free agency and more charter travel, all of which were priorities for the players. The league did retain the Targeted Allocation Money mechanism, which the players wanted abolished, and pushed back on the number of charter flights over the term of the deal. A couple of new wrinkles include the players being given a share of media rights starting with the new deal in 2023 and an emphasis on signing younger players at a reduced salary budget charge, which is a component that is still being fleshed out.

According to MLS, here are some of the particulars of the new deal:

—MLS will increase investment in the player pool to approximately $11.6 million per club in 2024, from $8.5 million currently (including standard salaries, general allocation money (GAM) and performance bonuses). The minimum salary will rise to $109,200 by 2024.

—Players will share in media revenue for the first time. MLS’s current TV deal expires after the 2022 season. In 2023 and ’24, MLS said it “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.”

—Charter flights will increase. Teams will be required to use eight during the 2020 regular season, and that figure will increase to 16 in 2024. That’s an increase from 0-4 in 2019. Chartering to MLS Cup playoff and Concacaf Champions League games abroad will be mandatory.

—The free agency program for which the MLSPA seemed to sacrifice substantial dollars last time around will be expanded. Players used to have to be 28 years old with eight years of MLS service to be eligible. Going forward, they’ll have to be only 24 with five years of service. The increase in salary a player can earn in free agency will be capped once again.

—Clubs once again will be able to sign up to three Designated Players.

More details to follow.