MLS, MLSPA Extend Ongoing CBA Negotiation Deadline

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Major League Soccer and its Players Association has extended the deadline for the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement by 24 hours, the league announced this afternoon.

The league and the Players Association have been going back and forth attempting to come to an agreement on the timeline of the CBA, with no end in sight.

The league is hopeful that the CBA can extend through 2027, but the players association is attempting to only extend the CBA through 2026. The ongoing negotiation began following the 2020 season that saw the league lose $1 billion in revenue due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

“Although we have not finalized a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and remain apart on some key issues, discussions this week have been productive, and we have made progress,” the league stated.

MLS Statement on CBA Negotiations pic.twitter.com/9uPynhf2oj

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 4, 2021

Furthermore, the news comes following a daunting period for the league. Last week, the league threatened to go into a lockout if the two parties could not come to an agreement by midnight of February 4th.

Many platforms, including the NBA Players Association, have expressed their concern surrounding the potential of a lockout in MLS given the current financial status of the global economy.

MLS has never endured a lockout in its 25 years of existence.

Two weeks ago the league announced plans to begin preseason training on February 22nd with the season to start on April 3rd. However, those dates are pending the ongoing CBA negotiations.

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