Salary Cap Poll

[Initial B]

There's been a lot of talk that the Salary Cap should be increase and that players are underpaid. How much do you think MLS will increase the Salary Cap in this CBA, and why? Should there be a small increase, medium increase, large increase, or massive increase? For reference, the salary cap this year was $4.24 million.

[Richard]

They need to simplify rules regarding cap and salaries.

A nice flat 15M for each team and going the NBA route with a luxury tax for high spending teams is the way to go.

[NK Toronto]

What concerns me is the sustainability of clubs. I wonder how many teams are actually profitable. Many times this year I have seen stadiums with very few people in the stands, such as Houston, Chicago, Colorado and Columbus, and yet the league continues to expand. The only thing that may be sustaining these clubs is the expansion fees . What happens when these fees eventually stop?

[wopchop]

What concerns me is the sustainability of clubs. I wonder how many teams are actually profitable. Many times this year I have seen stadiums with very few people in the stands, such as Houston, Chicago, Colorado and Columbus, and yet the league continues to expand. The only thing that may be sustaining these clubs is the expansion fees . What happens when these fees eventually stop?
The hope seemed to be expansion of the league prior to the TV deal expiry, which is up for renewal in 2022. By then they will have added Miami, Nashville, Austin, St Louis and Sacramento - further increasing their advertising reach.

We should also remember before the last deal was put in place was before NYCFC, Orlando, Atlanta, Minnesota, LAFC and Cincinnati.

[Ultra & Proud]

I think the goal of this CBA should be to grow MLS to the #1 league in CONCACAF and win the CCL. Hopefully by 2026.

I would like to see:
- Cap at $12M
- 3 DPs
- No cap hit on homegrown players
- No amortized transfer fees. Transfer fees to not count against the cap at all
- League minimum up to $200K but like now will only apply to senior roster spots.

[Oldtimer]

You can tell it's the off-season when the inevitable salary cap thread starts. Amount. Hard cap, soft cap, no cap, * sigh .* Other common off-season threads: Promotion/relegation, single entity, playoff dates, whether to align the calendar with Europe (did I get them all? :))

[NK Toronto]

You can tell it's the off-season when the inevitable salary cap thread starts. Amount. Hard cap, soft cap, no cap, * sigh .* Other common off-season threads: Promotion/relegation, single entity, playoff dates, whether to align the calendar with Europe (did I get them all? :))

Given that its snowing today in the GTA I don't think we should align the calendar with Europe.

[ag futbol]

What concerns me is the sustainability of clubs. I wonder how many teams are actually profitable. Many times this year I have seen stadiums with very few people in the stands, such as Houston, Chicago, Colorado and Columbus, and yet the league continues to expand. The only thing that may be sustaining these clubs is the expansion fees . What happens when these fees eventually stop?
Agreed. I would settle for more transparency and better free agent rights.

Of course some clubs could still afford to spend more but after the growth in the league in recent years I think we are close to a reasonable level for the time being.

[spe18]

For those with a subscription to The Athletic, there's a fairly good article explaining some of the financials of MLS.

https://theathletic.com/1362372/2019/11/08/inside-the-confidential-2016-study-that-provided-the-blueprint-for-mlss-modern-era/

[pekduck]

For those with a subscription to The Athletic, there's a fairly good article explaining some of the financials of MLS.

https://theathletic.com/1362372/2019/11/08/inside-the-confidential-2016-study-that-provided-the-blueprint-for-mlss-modern-era/


Great read! I bought subscription just because the quality of this level of research and ability to dig up deliverable from BCG.

[Initial B]

You can tell it's the off-season when the inevitable salary cap thread starts. Amount. Hard cap, soft cap, no cap, * sigh .*
Not always, but because this is a collective bargaining year, it's the one chance we have to speculate before they set the Salary Cap for the following years until the next CBA. Personally, I think the cheapskate owners are in the minority so they will fight tooth and nail to keep whatever profits they can scrounge. I'm hoping for at least a $7.5 million cap, but I expect they'll set it closer to $5 million with 8% increases year over year.

[PizzaEatingYeti]

I would like to see a salary cap of at least 10 million, and 4 DP spots.

Until the DP systyem is not whiped out completely, that would give many teams the opportunity to have a more balanced roster top quality wise: 2 DP strikers, 1 DP midfielder and 1 DP defender (though I think almost none would get the defender, but 1 more midfielder).

But I'm very sure in the best case we'll see a salary cap increase of just about 50% (making it max. 6.36 million), and very slight chance for the 4th DP position.
There are too many cheap skate owners, franchises without any ambition (being perfectly happy just to maintain a team in the top flight of US/Canada), and their will weights too heavy.

[Ultra & Proud]

There are too many cheap skate owners, franchises without any ambition (being perfectly happy just to maintain a team in the top flight of US/Canada), and their will weights too heavy.

But now they are being legitimately outnumbered by the new rich ownership groups and also Goldenballs is back. MLS will do whatever it takes to make him happy so I expect the cap to go up a lot but as I said, they want the lowest level players to still make 56K or close to it.

[Initial B]

I think the minimum should go up to $100K, but I believe is *has* to go up to at least $75K. First Division players shouldn't have to take second jobs to make ends meet.

[ag futbol]

But now they are being legitimately outnumbered by the new rich ownership groups and also Goldenballs is back. MLS will do whatever it takes to make him happy so I expect the cap to go up a lot but as I said, they want the lowest level players to still make 56K or close to it.
That’s just silly. If anything they need to focus on these lower salaries. Second team players should be the only ones earning less than 100k a season.

They need to incentivize more young talent to stick with the sport or alternatively, not run off to Europe.

[Laiping]

I completely agreed with Wayne Rooney when he said that the MLS players are all under paid.

[Ultra & Proud]

That’s just silly. If anything they need to focus on these lower salaries. Second team players should be the only ones earning less than 100k a season.

They need to incentivize more young talent to stick with the sport or alternatively, not run off to Europe.
I was saying that everyone in the 18 should make $200K minumum and go from there. Then you will improve the league by editing out the Zalavetas who really don't deserve what they would get and it would in turn help the CPL and USL by feeding them better players than they have now.

[Ultra & Proud]

First Division players shouldn't have to take second jobs to make ends meet.

Remember back in the day when Gala, Morgan, and some other young guys had 5 guys living in a 3 bedroom apartment on their $12.5K salaries.

[troy1982]

I would like to see a salary cap of at least 10 million, and 4 DP spots.

Until the DP systyem is not whiped out completely, that would give many teams the opportunity to have a more balanced roster top quality wise: 2 DP strikers, 1 DP midfielder and 1 DP defender (though I think almost none would get the defender, but 1 more midfielder).

But I'm very sure in the best case we'll see a salary cap increase of just about 50% (making it max. 6.36 million), and very slight chance for the 4th DP position.
There are too many cheap skate owners, franchises without any ambition (being perfectly happy just to maintain a team in the top flight of US/Canada), and their will weights too heavy.

At 10 Million, that would mean MLS has to spend 145 Million more in 2020 than in 2019. where would the league get that 145 million from and get that same amount every year?

[Richard]

At 10 Million, that would mean MLS has to spend 145 Million more in 2020 than in 2019. where would the league get that 145 million from and get that same amount every year?

Expansion fees of course!

Seriously though the league needs to figure out what to do once they stop getting these fees.

[noimpactinmtl]

Remember back in the day when Gala, Morgan, and some other young guys had 5 guys living in a 3 bedroom apartment on their $12.5K salaries.

They’ll be cramming five in a 2 bedroom flat at 60k salary today given the Toronto real estate market.

[Initial B]

At 10 Million, that would mean MLS has to spend 145 Million more in 2020 than in 2019. where would the league get that 145 million from and get that same amount every year?
The same way the other major NA leagues get massive revenues - media deals. Everyone know that they will be getting $90 million a year for the next three years and MLS front office and the owner-operators know how much they have to work with to keep a sustainable level of salary growth. This makes me think that they're going to go for a short CBA of 4 years, at which point the TV deal for then next 5-8 years will be completed and both the league and the players will know how much of a pot they have to work with. I think this is the negotiations where the players work on raising the minimum floor for all players ($75K supplemental roster, $100K team player minimum) and decreasing free agency over increasing the salary cap by a large amount.

[Brooker]

I like the fact only 1 person picked No Cap.

If this was NYCFC supporters board (if there's anything left) they would smash that poll option to smithereens.