Don Garber spoke today. Words came out. Some were true.
Others were "truth challenged." That's was especially the case when it came to the ongoing issue of Canadians as domestics in MLS. Once again Garber talked around the issue and relied on legal half-truths to avoid actually answering.
The bottom line is this: Canadians are still considered international players on 85 percent of the clubs in what is allegedly this country's first division.
The time for subtlety on this issue is long over. It's unacceptable. And, the legal issues Garber tries to point to are not what's holding the league back on this issue. A reluctance to actually treat Canada as a full partner in the league is.
There remains a subsection in American soccer circles that are strongly opposed to bending on this issue. The protectionist arm of US soccer is likely in the minority, but it maintains a certain amount of power. MLS is reluctant to fight against it and, thus, it's unlikely that Canadians will be domestics anytime soon.
What's feared, I've been told, is that protectionist voices would challenge the legality of the law. They'd probably lose – other US leagues treat Canadians as domestics – but there is a risk of the issue getting political attention in Washington and no one wants to go down that rabbit hole.
So, the CSA has quietly been working on a solution. Rather than having Canadians count as domestics, it's asking that the league create special roster spots for Canadians. The thinking is that each team would have one or two Canadian slots that could be traded around the league like international slots are now. There might even be a way to legally make the players employees of a MLS Canada office to avoid labour challenges altogether.
In exchange for this increase the CSA might be willing to drop its quota requirements on Canadian teams. Canadians would still be domestic players in Canada, but the Canadian clubs would not be required to carry three on their senior rosters.
In essence the CSA would be giving up nine guaranteed spots for the possibility of 20 (likely two per team) in addition to any Canadians playing in Canada. The key is ensuring that the two Canadian slots are in addition to the roster rather than part of the existing roster spots. If the spots were “use them or lose them” then there would be very little reason for MLS teams to not give Canadians a chance.
It would then be up to them to then take advantage.
However, this would need to be collectively bargained. And therein lies another reason for Garber's reluctance to talk.
Will it happen? That's hard to say. It seems like a win-win for MLS. It's a small concession to both Canada and the player's union that wouldn't cost them all that much. And, if the spots are in addition to the US spots – therefore not taking any American jobs – then the protectionists wouldn't have anything to complain about.