CBA Predictions

[powerof11]

Don't be surprised if this Major League Soccer season kicks off as scheduled -- with just a few changes in the way it does business.

Based on the few stories written on the Collecting Bargaining Agreement negotiations, there are a few possibilities already for what the CBA will look like. Here's what might be expected (yes, more fearless predictions, worthy of later roasting if horribly wrong):

1) Don't expect a big cap hike.

2) Do expect a change in how player contracts are handled.

3) There has been a hard push by several important clubs to allow for a second DP automatically, instead of having to trade for it.

4) Expect base salaries to rise to somewhere north of $41,000 per season.

5) Expect the league to accommodate significant changes in team regulations with respect to travel and accommodations for players.

http://www.rednationonline.ca/CBA_Predictions_feb_2_10_column.shtml

[Macksam]

Don't be surprised if this Major League Soccer season kicks off as scheduled -- with just a few changes in the way it does business.

Based on the few stories written on the Collecting Bargaining Agreement negotiations, there are a few possibilities already for what the CBA will look like. Here's what might be expected (yes, more fearless predictions, worthy of later roasting if horribly wrong):

1) Don't expect a big cap hike.

2) Do expect a change in how player contracts are handled.

3) There has been a hard push by several important clubs to allow for a second DP automatically, instead of having to trade for it.

4) Expect base salaries to rise to somewhere north of $41,000 per season.

5) Expect the league to accommodate significant changes in team regulations with respect to travel and accommodations for players.

http://www.rednationonline.ca/CBA_Predictions_feb_2_10_column.shtml

As in the league minimum?

[Havoc88]

That's what it sounds like he's referring to. Don't some players make 12K or something like that? While getting a decent rookie contract is about 36K?

[jpg75]

Min. salary for Sr. roster is $41K. For a Dev spot i think they split it into Jr. and Sr. dev which is 20K and 29K or something like that. With only 4 spots on the dev roster and all the GenAd players coming in from the draft and soon to be coming from the academies there soon won't be too many dev salaries being paid out.

[VPjr]

^ i thought the league dropped the DEV designation last season, when they trimmed the roster to 24 players.

[RS]

^ i thought the league dropped the DEV designation last season, when they trimmed the roster to 24 players.

They trimmed the DEV designation to a maximum of four per team. It used to be 10.

They simultaneously raised the number of senior roster designations from 18 to 20 per team.

[TFCRegina]

No, I think they just dropped the reserve league...

[ag futbol]

Sounds like minimal progress, but at least the minimal salaries are up.

I hate the idea of a second DP. Give some teams the option to slightly spend over the cap with their own money instead. It's much more important to have quality across the field instead of another golden child who has nobody to play with.

[jpg75]

Regarding the min. salary, it was $31K in 2007 so it has risen 33% in the past 2 years. And it looks to rise again next season, I'd speculate it rises to $50K.

Don't mind adding another DP, but in an effort to encourage teams to use them and not ruin themselves cap wise i would incorporate the idea the LA GM had, which is to make DP's cap exempt. You sign a DP, he doesn't count against your cap. That's to going to be alot of extra $$$ you can use for filling out the roster.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Sounds like minimal progress, but at least the minimal salaries are up.

Worth bearing in mind that this is pure speculation on Jeremy Loome's part. Not sure about the lack of a major salary cap hike. Flexibility on that side of things still seems to me to be the most likely trade off for nothing much happening on the single entity side of things. Although most MLS teams still report losses on their operations that may be due to creative accountancy in some cases. Once the broadcast deals through SUM and stadium revenues (most teams control the key game day revenue streams now unlike in the early years) are factored in the financial picture may be significantly healthier than the I/O groups like to admit publicly.

It is also well documented that at least some of the I/O groups (e.g. LA, NYRB and TFC) would welcome a significantly higher salary cap regardless of what happens during the CBA negotiations. From that sort of standpoint I suspect the prospect of having a second DP per team is unlikely to appeal to the Players Union negotiators as they would be more likely to want to see a significant portion of the extra salary money spent on that shared amongst their existing membership through an increased salary cap by keeping a relatively low maximum salary and having a markedly higher minimum one.

[Cheeta]

Regarding the min. salary, it was $31K in 2007 so it has risen 33% in the past 2 years. And it looks to rise again next season, I'd speculate it rises to $50K.

Don't mind adding another DP, but in an effort to encourage teams to use them and not ruin themselves cap wise i would incorporate the idea the LA GM had, which is to make DP's cap exempt. You sign a DP, he doesn't count against your cap. That's to going to be alot of extra $$$ you can use for filling out the roster.

True. Even if a bulk of the DP's salary didn't count towards the cap, a significant amount of dollars did. $400K wasn't it? For a team salary cap in the low $2M range that's a pretty decent bite.

It does allow for creating a truly more competitive league as well. The salary cap levels the playing field (to borrow a term) but the wealthier clubs can buy a DP at market value if they so wish.