MLS, Players Agree On Return-To-Play Plan, Modified CBA

The MLSPA voted last night and this morning to “approve the latest return-to-play plan” negotiated with MLS, and the union announced this morning that the vote “passed and the new collective bargaining agreement had been ratified by the players and league owners,” according to Stejskal & Tenorio of THE ATHLETIC. The vote means MLS will “come out of its COVID-19 suspension with a summer tournament in the Orlando area” (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/3). ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle notes the approval "avoids a lockout that had been threatened by MLS, and enables the league to soften the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic." The teams are "expected to arrive in Orlando in three weeks." A union source said that the total amount of economic concessions comes to over $100M. It includes an "across the board salary cut of 7.5% that isn't retroactive and is set to kick in for on May 31 payroll period." Players will have the "option to delay the salary cut until after the Orlando tournament, but the total amount of the cut will be the same." Performance and individual bonuses "will be capped" at $5M for this season" (ESPN.com, 6/3).