Originally Posted by
Initial B
When I saw that first budget number column, my heart sank as I thought the cheapskate owners won again. But then I looked at the total including GAM and TAM and it looks like things are in better shape than I thought. I also liked that the Journeyman players will finally break the 6-figure salary mark and even the reserve wages should allow players a comfortable living. I was shocked at how soon players will be allowed to become free agents (forcing teams to either lock them into contracts earlier or sell them younger). It looks like the Charter flights will be mandatory for almost all club matches by 2024. The owners have really set the baseline for operations going forward. I can't see too many other unaccounted for operating expenses so future CBA uncertainty will be mainly regarding player wages.
I'd also like to point this out: In 2006 the MLS Salary Cap was $1.9 million US for the entire team. This was before the time of DPs, GAM, or TAM. In 2021, total team salaries will be $9.83 million US not including DP amounts above this total. That's a team salary increase of over 5 times in 15 years and top 15 salary-wise worldwide. If that rate of growth continues, then by 2035 team salaries will be over $50 Million US which will make it a top 5 league in the world for expenditures.