The players and MLS team owners – the two sides which negotiate the CBA – are no closer to establishing a new one despite extensive talks.
The players union is unhappy with restrictions on free agency, and clubs' inability to guarantee contracts. The league wishes to continue with the terms in the previous CBA.
MLS President Mark Abbott said the new season would start as planned, less than a month from now. Provisions within the old CBA will stay in place until a new deal is agreed.
“We've made really significant proposals to address some of the players' concerns, [free agency] is one area where we're not going to make a change," Abbott said.
MLS Players Union executive director Bob Foose urged the players to keep working, but said changes needed to be made.
“While we expect that negotiations with MLS will resume at some point, there simply hasn’t been enough progress made in the negotiations to date to warrant an extension of the old agreement,” he said.
The current average yearly salary for MLS players is $147,945.
