MLS: Players have rights, but they also must produce

MLS players are discussing the league’s plans for a World Cup-style tournament in Orlando to resume the season. As they debate the right course of action, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: they have rights, but they are also paid to play.

Major League Soccer’s plan for a World Cup-style tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando progressed this week and the MLS Players’ Association and league continue discussions regarding a myriad of topics regarding the competition.

The finer details have not yet been fully laid out, but at present, the tournament will consist of a group stage in which the matches will count towards the regular-season standings, which currently sit on two games per team, and then a straight knockout stage with the eventual winner likely earning a CONCACAF Champions League spot and a cash prize. It is unknown whether these matches will count towards the regular season, though it seems hugely unlikely.

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The present discussions seem to centre on the willingness of the players to self-isolate in a resort for two months away from their families. There were discussions that teams could train in their home markets before moving to Orlando to play the tournament, thus cutting the total time spent there to five weeks.

The players also have concerns regarding safety, what happens if someone contacts COVID-19, the standard of the broadcast given that they will be playing without fans on a glorified training pitch, and plenty of other logistical complications regarding the plan.

Atlanta United’s Jeff Larentowicz, who is a member of the MLSPA’s executive board, raised concerns regarding the health of the players. Speaking with The Athletic, he said:

"“We have 730 players in one hotel and they’re all interacting. They’ve said we’d be wearing masks and social distancing and things like that, but we are all humans and mistakes can be made. Once a positive test happens (in Orlando), then what happens? How are we tracing that? How are we keeping everyone safe? We’re not going there for a conference. We’re going there to make physical contact, to breathe on each other.”"

Larentowicz also questioned the preparedness of the players given the potentially unique playing times due to the Orlando heat. He is also concerned about the quality of the matches and how that will impact the MLS product.

But there is a balance to be found, too. While the players may have their concerns about playing, ultimately, they are paid to play, and if MLS provides the structure for them to play, they have the right to refuse, but can they then also demand that their pay continue?

“We have to be sympathetic to the league just as the league has to be sympathetic to us,” Larentowicz wisely concluded. The players have rights, and they are more than justified to be concerned about their safety, the structure of the tournament, and the prospect of spending five weeks or more away from their families. These questions must be answered by the league. But they are also extremely well-compensated to play and as the world crumbles financially, there are moral questions to be asked of somewhat privileged players refusing to produce and yet still hoping being paid.

Ultimately, there is a balance that the players and league must find. The players must be satisfied and the league must find a way to make revenue. This is the only fair way that MLS can return, even in this contorted, strange form.