A new collective bargaining agreement was approved by MLSPA with the league Wednesday morning, which will run through 2025. The vote also puts in place a plan to resume the 2020 season.
Goalkeeper Evan Bush, who has been an MLSPA player representative since 2015, spoke to the media via zoom on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the new agreement.
“Obviously we would’ve preferred to play in our home markets to begin, but the reality is that it wasn’t a practical situation, so we agreed to the Orlando tournament. We’re all excited to get back on the field in whatever capacity that is,” said Bush. “We’re going to try and put the best product on the field, not only for our fans watching us remotely, but for the league in general and for fans all across North America.”
MLS was officially put on hold on March 12 following the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Players were only allowed to return to Centre Nutrilait for individual training as of May 25, but under strict health guidelines.
“We were going to have to help the league in some way,” added Bush. “We were sympathetic with that. We were willing to compromise on a number of issues while also protecting others that had to be part of the CBA. I think the players are as pleased as could be given the current circumstances. We can be very proud about how we handled our part of the negotiation.”
