US Soccer and Players reach a deal

US Soccer in the players' union (USNSTPA) reached a collective bargaining agreement through 2010. Earlier this year the two sides agreed to a no-strike, no-lockout deal, but that was set to expire at the end of the month.

No hard details were given, but it is safe to say that both sides gave a little. I'm also guessing there are large bonuses built in for success in the World Cup.

A spokesman for USNSTPA said, “The Players are pleased that they will continue to prepare for the 2006 World Cup with an agreement in place that benefits both sides. We hope this agreement will be the first step in bringing together the millions of individuals and many organizations that support soccer in the United States to work to advance our sport."

US Soccer President Dr. S. Robert Contiguglia is happy to have a deal. "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the U.S. National Soccer Players' Association on a collective bargaining agreement through the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We have been confident throughout this process that an amicable agreement would be reached that would positively address the desires of both parties, and that is what we have accomplished together. Our focus now, as it has always been, is to move forward and continue our preparation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany."

In January of this year, the lack of a deal forced Bruce Arena to use lower level players in his first training camp. Thankfully the no-strike deal was made in time to get the stars back to practice before any qualifiers were played. With this new agreement out of the way, the team can now focus exclusively on next June.