USL Announces Tentative New CBA After Player Protests

The United Soccer League and its players association tentatively agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement after more than a year-and-a-half of negotiations that included a federal mediator and on-field protests this season.

Players in the second-tier U.S. men’s league have been competing this spring under the terms of their old CBA that expired at the end of last year. Negotiations began in August 2024, and by March 2026, the two sides were still far apart on minimum compensation, health insurance, and NIL rights.

The USL and USLPA released a joint statement on Thursday night that they “have reached a tentative agreement on key terms” of the CBA, though more steps remain to cement the deal, including final ratification.

“This milestone represents a significant step forward for the league and its players, reflecting a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game and the advancement of professional standards,” the statement read.

The deal will go into effect when it is ratified and run through 2030, with a healthcare trigger that could extend it through 2031, two people familiar with the negotiations tell Front Office Sports.

The new minimum compensation, which includes salary and housing, will start at $42,000 and increase throughout the life of the deal, the sources say. Entry-level deals for young players on their first pro contract can be signed at $34,000 starting in 2027, one of the people says. Contracts will now last 12 months instead of 10.

After players voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in February, they have stood still for a minute at the start of some matches this season in protest. Players also wore shirts reading “Do you stand with the players, USSF?” before U.S. Open Cup matches.

Players wanted to establish league-wide professional standards with the new CBA. “The sentiment across the entire player pool is that that floor needs to rise significantly higher across the board,” USLPA president and Colorado Springs Switchbacks defender Duke Lacroix told FOS in March.

The USLPA continually posted about perceived areas of improvement on social media throughout the negotiations, most recently on Tuesday. The union recently posted about 20% of clubs not offering health insurance, pitch quality, and post-game meals.

On the league side, USL president of competition and administration Brett Luy told ESPN “we need a willing dance partner here.”

All clubs will need to offer players the same health insurance options as their front office staff, the sources say. The CBA can be extended another year if the league, clubs, and players agree upon a centralized healthcare plan—meaning players wouldn’t change insurance providers if they switch teams—by a certain date in the 2029 season.

The new CBA will cover both the existing USL Championship and the planned USL Premier. The USL announced last year it would create in 2028 a new Division One tier, USL Premier, to sit above the USL Championship and current USL League One, and establish a system for promotion and relegation. USL League One has its own CBA that runs through next year. 

Under the new CBA, the minimum compensation for the USL Premier in 2028 will be $67,500, according to the sources, with the entry-level deal at $50,000.

Two other key points of the deal revolve around group licensing and prize money, the sources say. The CBA will create a bundled group licensing deal that will include all three levels of men’s soccer plus the women’s USL Super League, with fees coming from the USL and the clubs, and the USL will offer players prize money for the first time, though those details are still being finalized, sources say.

On Tuesday morning, MLS announced a private equity investment from the firm KKR into MLS Next Pro, its own league between its youth level (MLS Next) and first tier professional league. Most MLS Next Pro teams are affiliated with MLS clubs, though three are independent.

“This investment will help build and grow MLS Next Pro and reflects our ambition to expand into new markets, develop soccer-specific infrastructure, elevate the matchday experience, and deepen connections between our clubs and their communities,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a statement.

Kartik Krishnaiyer of Beyond The 90’, which covers soccer’s lower divisions, reported that some USL owners had been pushing toward an agreement on Wednesday, then “there was a bomb dropped in the room” on Thursday with the MLS Next Pro announcement.

“I think everybody sees the MLS Next Pro piece as a threat,” Krishnaiyer said.

Both sources say the timing of the MLS Next Pro announcement did not impact the USL negotiations.