The 2010 Major League Soccer season will begin on time after the league and its players union agreed to a new Collective Bargaining Agreement on Saturday. The sides agreed to a new five-year deal.

The highlights of the deals are guaranteed contracts, improved freedom of movement by players out of contract (not quite free agency) and improved compensation for players.

MLS Players Union head Bob Foose said a majority of players will receive guaranteed contracts for the first time and there will be increased player rights within the league when contracts expire. Even with those wins, the players union still failed to achieve its goal of free agency.

“From our perspective, these negotiations were always about players’ rights,” Foose said, with his members wanting to bring their rights “more in line with leagues from around the world. Soccer is a global game and we were adamant that these changes were necessary to make MLS as competitive as possible,” Foose said.

Major League Soccer has been opposed to giving the players free agency, but they agreed to creating a re-entry draft for players whose contracts end, options are declined or who reach a certain age.

“We think we have made some real improvements in players’ ability to move,” Foose said.

Getting the majority of players on guaranteed contracts was a big win for the Players Union. Not giving in on free-agency and creating a “re-entry” draft was a big win for the league. But then I guess that is what negotiations are all about. A little bit of give and take so that both sides can walk away from the table happy with what they got.

A couple of other interesting titbits that came out from the negotiations. Player income averaged $147,945 at the start of last season, according to the union. That sounds really good, but is inflated by the large contracts that players like David Beckham and Landon Donovan are on. The median salary for the 323 in MLS last year, the point at which an equal amount make above and below, was only $88,000.

MLS commissioner Don Garber also said that Seattle and Toronto were the only profitable teams in MLS last year. Interestingly these are the two most recent expansion franchises.

Garber also said that teams regular and postseason attendance in 2009 averaged 16,391, down from 16,640 in 2008. Those numbers hide the fact that the Seattle Sounders, who were not in the league in 2008, averaged 30,837 fans per home page in 2009. Without the Sounders, MLS would have seen a significant decline in overall attendance in 2009. Three MLS teams saw their average attendance fall more than 21 percent: New England (21.9 percent), New York (21.5 percent) and Los Angeles (21.5 percent). D.C. United and Chicago also experienced double-digit percentage declines in average attendance

“We also collectively agreed that we need to grow our television ratings and attendance,” Garber said. “Perhaps five years from now we have a league that’s operating with all teams at a profit.”

So we have a labor agreement that both sides can live with and now we can turn our attention to the important stuff for fans and that is the beginning of the MLS season next week.

The Side: Ah yes, Toronto FC, those commie bastards. OK, so maybe they are not actually communists, but their nickname is the “Reds”, so I – a Yank who bleeds red, white and blue (which sort of makes purple) – am inherently distrustful of them. I don’t trust this team either, even though I must admit they look quite good on paper. Toronto took a step up last season, and now they have Preki in place to steer them to the playoffs. Well, at least they hope so.

The Pride: I don’t know Preki’s political persuasions, but I know he leans towards playing guys who have the hot hand. Which men are hoping to be so hot they have to play in oven mitts in 2010? Well, it begins and ends for TFC with DeRo, their bedreaded leader. He played well last season, and now that he has had a little time to work with these guys, I am betting he does well in 2010. I also like me some Barrett, and am partial to Marvell”ous” Wynne.

The Guide: I like Toronto’s chances of prospering under Preki, and I would love to do my odds for you now like usual. You know, the odds, the thing where I say “what are _____’s chances of hoisting some significant hardware (US Open Cup, MLS Cup, Supporters Shield).” But, I have recognized that Toronto can never win the US Open Cup (because they’re socialist pigs). They did win the Canadian Cup in ‘09, so I will substitute it. So, what are their odds?

I’ll put them at 6:1. I think Preki will improve them.

And, yeah, I think they can beat the Montreal Impact.

The Side: If Sigi Schmid could get on The Price Is Right, I am betting Drew Carey would ensure he got through to the Showcase Showdown. How could he deny Sigi, who in just one season turned Seattle into a bona fide contender for the MLS Cup. Sigi has always been one of the best coaches in the league, but he is also buoyed each game by the terrific response he gets from the side’s supporters. The Sounders sold out every home game in 2009. W-o-w.

The Pride: Yes, you read that correctly. Seattle broke the MLS attendance record for a single season, and now they are primed to push their record even higher in 2010. I think those fans will have plenty to cheer for too. After all, they have one of the league’s top foreign stars, Mr. Ljungberg (aka “The Swedish Becks”). They also possess one of the league’s best young talents, Mr. Zakuani. Finally, they have Kasey Keller between the pipes. Need I say more?

The Guide: I am planning a trip to Seattle to see some soccer soon. I don’t have any “favorites” in MLS (I promised the Mutiny I would never love again), but I like Seattle’s style of play. Their strong strategy led them to hoist the US Open Cup last season, but how far can Sigi & Co. go in 2010? I will put the chances that they hoist either the MLS Cup, US Open Cup, or Supp. Shield at 14:1. This isn’t The Price Is Right, you don’t have to wager $1 if you bet last.

But, it is encouraged.

photo credit: ArtBrom

The MLS Players Union is getting ready to strike next Monday if a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached.

A Monday strike would come four days before the 2010 MLS season is supposed to kick off in Seattle with the Sounders facing expansion side Philadelphia Union and increase pressure on Major League Soccer with interest in the sport at an all-time high.

MLS players are prepared to strike if by the league’s May 25 opener. Players are asking for more guaranteed contracts and free-agent rights.

Major League Soccer is a ’single entity’ league, which has a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) governing player contracts, salaries and legal status. Contracts are owned by the league rather than individual clubs.

The players’ union wants major changes to that structure, which it has called a cartel that restricts freedom of movement. Basically MLS players want the same freedoms as football players around the world. When their contract is up they want to be able to go sign for whoever they want.

John Wolyniec, New York Red Bulls player rep said this on NJ.com about the Unions position:

“What we’re asking for is reasonable, essentially player rights that most players in the world have. It can be frustrating but we’re still at the table. At the risk of jeopardizing those talks I can’t speak to specifics. Obviously the two sides are still negotiating so you take that as a good sign, but we need an agreement to play.”

The Seattle Sounders Freddie Ljungberg in the Seattle Examiner added:

“Imagine you work at Burger King and you get sacked. Now, you want to get another job at McDonald’s, but you’re not allowed to unless McDonald’s compensates Burger King. It seems absurd, but that’s the way certain things work in MLS at the moment. If your team terminates your contract, it still can demand a trade from another club before you can go and play for that other club.

The CBA, for me personally, is a sad saga. I was told it would be settled when I came back to the USA in January. Now it plays a lot on the minds of players in the preseason because we don’t know if the first game is going to be played on March 25 or not. If it isn’t, it will be a very sad day for players and fans in this country.”

MLS owners see it as bit differently, Sounders majority owner Joe Roth was quoted inTacoma News Tribune as saying:

“From an entertainment standpoint, we haven’t made enough of an imprint on the national psyche… I don’t think there will be a national outcry like with the NFL if somehow we wouldn’t be out there for a year – which would be terrible. Everyone would lose their jobs. We would all lose our franchises. And that would be that.”

While Tim Leiweke of AEG and the Los Angeles Galaxy says:

“Even if it means that we go a year without soccer, so be it. We went a long time without soccer in this country and we”re not going to give up our belief in a system that works. We are unanimous within the owners. We will wait as long as it takes. We will never, ever agree to change the system.”

The quotes by Tim Leiweke and Joe Roth scare the daylights out of me. This is a big year for soccer in the U.S. It is a World Cup year, which means that the casual sports fan in the U.S. will be watching the soccer this summer. MLS has a new team in Philadelphia and anew stadium in New York. MLS cannot afford to be shut down for any period of time.

The Seattle Sounders team is a huge success in Seattle both on an off the field. They have spent months promoting the opening game next week against Philadelphia. If the game is cancelled, the Seattle franchise might reach the heights that is did last year.

The Side: The San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t climb very far out of the league’s basement last year and are thanking their lucky stars (all one or two of them) that there is no relegation from the top of the American soccer pyramid. The most frustrating thing about their year was that they seemed to actually take a step backward. This franchise has won a Supporters Shield and two MLS Cups, but their “hiatus” has hampered them. Sure helped Houston though!

The Pride: I think SJE fans will be a bit delighted this year though. Yep, I’m opining that last year was a classic sophomore year slump, and that they will finish above 7th in 2010 for the first time since their reboot. Why do I like their chances? I don’t really, I just think they’ll finish sixth. All kidding aside, they have a few guys I think can play with poise, like Alvarez and Convey. I think they could have success up top with Cornell Glen and Eduardo.

The Guide: Hey, in theory Glen and Eduardo could be damn good together, and even if one of those guys goes down or doesn’t live up to the hype, Wondolowski and Johnson can be stirred in for good measure. But, I still think the Quakes won’t win one of the three major US trophies (US Open Cup, MLS Cup, Supporters Shield) in 2010. Why? It’s their deplorable defense.  The Quakes gave up 50 goals last season, the most in MLS. They must build from the back to better their squad, and I don’t think they’ve done it yet. I put the odds of them hoisting hardware at 40:1.

photo credit: Noël Zia Lee

The Side: Real Salt Lake is the reigning champion of MLS, and they surely deserve their title belt based on last season’s heroic sprint to the finish. They barely made the playoffs, but once they were in there was no one who could stop them from claiming the Cup. Jason Kreis must be recognized as one of the league’s top coaches despite his tender years as a manager, and his ragtag blend of dedicated vets and upstart youngsters are a fine side.

The Pride: Personally, there are few guys I like to watch play more than Kyle Beckerman. I am definitely an admirer of the dedication he displays when he plays defensive mid. And yes, I also enjoy watching his enormous, legendary dreads bounce around the pitch. But, I also would endorse several other “Salt Lakers”, like lighting fast Findley, midfield maestro Morales, and garguantuan goalkeeper Rimando, just to name a few.

The Guide: I actually like Real Salt Lake to have a very good year, which is strange because I don’t think I have ever felt that way in any season of their existence. They finally have a strong team in place and a fantastic manager on board (not to mention, a beautiful new stadium). Their cup runneth over, but will they win another Cup (MLS Cup, Supporters Shield or US Open Cup) in 2010? I think the odds they will are 10:1. Odds Beckerman chops off his dreads?

Too high to calculate.

photo credit: simononly

David Beckham’s World Cup is more than likely over as he has–apparently–torn his Achilles Tendon in a Serie A match this weekend.  Basically, the English are crying right now, but I think it’s time for the English side to get it together and make this into a rallying cry.  This could be their chance to push themselves over the edge and get into a position to win the whole thing.

I know I predicted that they wouldn’t make it out of their Group because of poor management, but management may not even make a difference now.  If this team wants to rally around its core and basically shut out everyone else they can really do something special.

Look at a team like the Boston Red Sox.  In 2004 they had already dealt Nomar Garciaparra and they went on to win the World Series.  He was part of the “Idiot clan” that put that team over the top.  Well, him leaving and the pressure of the moment made that team band together and win a World Series.  They even gave Nomar a full-share of the title because he was so beloved.

The same can be true here.  Beckham is gone and this is the kind of “bulletin board” material that the English need to say “Screw the rest of the world, let’s fight for our brother!”

Are they actually going to do that?  I don’t know.  Fabio Capello was stupid enough to comment:

“We have to wait for the results of the scan, but it looks like he is out of the World Cup.  I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did Franco Baldini.”

Listen, just offer your support and move on.  Speculating on a scan is idiocy.

Hopefully the players take note and decide to band together because Capello obviously knows nothing about building a real “team”.

I hope Becks makes a full recovery and I hope the English players do something special at this year’s World Cup.

photo credit: Katie@!

This post was supposed to go up on March 23, 2010. You see, a couple of days before the MLS season starts, I always do an annual “Ode to MFLS.” Back in 2008, I introduced many of you to MFLS, the original MLS fantasy soccer site on the internet. I explained how it was created by Mark Wheeler, a founder of Sam’s Army, and how it had become a grassroots phenomenon. In 2009, I once again touted MFLS and extolled its vast ocean of virtues. 

Well, I decided to move my annual Ode up this year because I fear – for the first time ever – that we won’t have a season at all. I know MFLS is set to celebrate its 15th season. The guys who basically volunteer their time to run it have already calculated player salaries for the season and set up everything for 2010. However, I don’t know if MLS will ever kickoff its 15th season. No MLS would mean no MFLS, and I don’t know which season I would miss more.

It may be ironic (and perhaps pathetic), but I think I would miss the virtual game more than the real one. You see, ever since the Tampa Bay Mutiny were contracted, I haven’t really given a damn about any specific team in MLS. Sure, I still have watched the league as a fan (and blogger), but I haven’t been emotionally invested in it. Meanwhile, I have been very emotionally invested in MFLS. In fact, I have probably been way too invested for way too long.

But, I can’t help it. I love MFLS. I love the strategy. I love the competition. I love the conversations. MFLS features the oldest fantasy divisions around, which means it also has the most vehement soccer fans in America. These gents have played the game for years, yet they always come back to best the “Johnny-come-latelies” every single season. My team has been around for years now, but my team’s tale doesn’t go anywhere near the top of the table.

Nope, my team has always been mediocre. But, I haven’t really cared. It’s not just about winning, it’s about enjoying the league and camaraderie with other MLS fanatics. The grassroots feel of the league has never been diminished or changed in the least. Something else that hasn’t changed has been my opinion when it comes to this strike situation. In fact, my two cents have always been the same, but I will set them out again here. In short, I think it really sucks.

I think a lost season would suck more for Mark and the folks who run MFLS though than it would for just anybody. Think about it. Not only are those individuals some of the most widely-renowned soccer supporters in the US, but they also put in a ton of time figuring out everything prior to the 2010 season. They have sacrificed their time so that others can enjoy a season that might not even come to fruition. I would be perturbed if I were in their shoes. 

I have said over and over that I think these negiotiations are complex and that I haven’t the foggiest idea which side is “to blame” if there is no season. Maybe neither side is “to blame”, maybe both, who knows? The answer you will get depends on who you ask and what angle they are coming from. As a fan, I will be disappointed if a deal doesn’t get done, especially in a World Cup year. If we have no domestic soccer, I won’t be diplomatic. I will blame everyone.

That’s right. I will blame the owners; the players union; the sponsors; the agents; the lawyers; the Don, Commissioner Garber; ESPN; Alexi Lalas; Paris Hilton; David Beckham; rock & roll music; President Obama; one Baldwin brother (to be named later); and Milli Vanilli’s Rain. If only they hadn’t lip-synched! Seriously though, I just want this whole CBA shenanigans to end, and soon. Maybe then we could get down to some serious soccer. 

And, maybe then I could finalize my team and get ready to take on some MFLS legends in 2010. These lads are manly men with many Cups to their names, while I have never won a Cup. That’s right, I have never hoisted hardware despite a multitude of chances. I surmise this is due to the fact that I manage my team in the style of my ginger idol, Alexi Lalas. He never met an aging defender he didn’t love, and he had a wicked quick trigger finger.

Unfortunately, I will again begin this season (assuming it happens) with the mindset that – like Alexi - I need to tinker with my team so much early on, that I will end up looking absolutely ridiculous later on when the final weeks roll around and I can’t even field a team of starters. I will self destruct. Count on it. I will sell out early and often. This is a terrible MFLS strategy, and one that should not be emulated by anyone who wants to win a Cup.

I did perform admirably in the Predictions League last year though. I finished strong the last week to enter into a tie for 25th. Now, I know 25th isn’t exactly impressive, but I’ll take it. I plan to bring my same style back this year, which is sort of a strange hybrid between the two styles that usually compete for the top spot. I had many weeks where I just missed in ‘09, and I think I could perhaps perform even stronger in 2010. I’m not Doc Brown though.

No, but I do think Hotspur must have that sports almanac that Marty tried to bring back from the future in Back to the Future II. He has won the Predictions League title two years in a row now. He is also a member of my esteemed division, USA v. World. Thus, in order to even win my division title, I would have to best the best MLS prediction machine. This is just another 2010 MFLS storyline that will be forever lost if there’s no season. What a shame.

Seriously though, if we don’t have a season, I may miss my MFLS, but I will miss my MLS more. I will miss seeing several suitors for a spot on the squad in South Africa ply their trade right here at home in the hopes of catching the eye of Bob “Skeletor” Bradley. I will miss the close rivalries, coaching rants and Cup runs. I will miss it all, but I don’t have to. All we need is a couple signatures on a some specific dotted lines, and we are back in business my friends.

So, to make a long story short (too late), I love MFLS. If you play it, you will become addicted to it too. Addicted to the fun you will have managing your own team and addicted to the witty banter you can always engage in with MFLS regulars. They truly are the best MLS fans in the country, and they desire delicious soccer honey close to their hives (don’t know what that means, sorry). In the immortal (altered) words of Dire Straights, I want my MFLS.

Plus, maybe this is the year Alexi & I finally break through into the Top 100 in the Fantasy League. Ha, just kidding! The Laws of Lalas will once again be criminally bad come the end of the season. I am looking forward to failing spectacularly though. I hope to see you there when I do. Please, if you are a fan of the beautiful game here in America, go sign up for MFLS today and get ready for a fantastic fantasy season. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Not only is David Beckham’s World Cup dream over after rupturing his Achilles tendon today while playing for AC Milan, but his career might be over also.

Beckham sustained the injury without coming into contact with anyone else, limping to the sidelines for treatment before being stretchered away in pain and in tears.

“David’s injury is bad for us,” said Milan coach Leonardo, who refused to officially confirm the nature of the problem although Sky Sports Italia claimed it was a season-ending Achilles rupture. “David realised straightaway what had happened. He understood that it was a serious problem and he said so immediately. It?s such a great shame.”

AC Milan midfielder Ignazio Abate added:

“Beckham is not well. To see him suffer like that has really touched us.”

Beckham has to be in serious doubt for the upcoming MLS season which is a major blow to the LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer. At 34 years old, questions will have to be asked about Beckham can recover and play again at an elite level at his age.

photo credit: Tetsumo

The Side: The Philadelphia Union are the new kid on the block in MLS, and they hope to hang tough with the league’s more seasoned sides. They are going to try and replicate the Sounders‘ success from last year when Sigi Schmid mixed vets and youngsters together like roasted onions and peppers on a delicious cheesesteak. I like this team and I wish them luck. I really admire the Sons of Ben, supporters of the team who triggered its creation via grass roots efforts. 

The Pride: The Sons of Ben should take pride in what they have done for the soccer loving souls of Philly, but grass roots efforts won’t ensure success on the grass pitch. In fact, most could make an easy case for why the Union will look divided in 2010. But, I like some of the team’s basic building blocks – like GK Chris Seitz, FW Sebastien Le Toux, and DF Jordan Harvey. I especially like Danny Califf, a guy who has served Sam’s Army as a member of the US National Team.

The Guide: Califf may have his hands full on defense though because I am afraid this team lacks a killer instinct up top. They are going to be big underdogs in 2010, and I think that is fitting considering where they come from. Philadelphia is synomynous with a toughness of spirit. It’s a town that is not afraid to take on tyranny, and its underdog rep is firmly rooted in deep Rocky roots. This team as a whole sort of reminds of Balboa himself, a scrappy puncher who fights for his family, friends and dearest fans. I don’t think they will be ringing bells in celebration of a top MLS trophy any time soon though. In fact, I will put their odds of hoisting hardware at a Ulysses S. Grant ”$50″:1.

And, yes, 100 would have been more appropriate. Good luck Philly. You’ll need it!