The Countdown Begins
Kevin Hartman has become the unlikely poster child of the MLS - MLS Players Union dispute. (Pribyl/Getty)
MLS and the MLS Players Union have made little progress in their ongoing dispute over the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement to replace the one that expired at the end of January of this year. In recent days, players frustrated at the lack in progress went to the media to express their disappointment. According to the players, the league has failed to address issues they consider critical. Amongst the most important is the ability for a waived player to obtain his own rights as a result of being dismissed. Currently, rights to such players continue to be the property of the team that waived the player. As a result, a player cannot sign with any other MLS franchise unless the original team is compensated in some way--usually by means of a trade.
This rule has put many a player in precarious situations, suddenly finding themselves out of work and limited in their ability to seek it elsewhere within the league. Players like ex-Chivas USA midfielder Amado Guevara opted to leave MLS altogether. Guevara and then Chivas USA Head Coach Preki Radosavljevic never quite got along and the team eventually waived the Honduran international. Not having the ability to sign with any other MLS team unless some compensation was brokered, Guevara packed his bags and went back to play in Honduras. It should be noted that Guevara is rumored to have been an obstacle in attempts by Chivas USA to trade him to other clubs.
In any case, he remained in Honduras until Chivas USA was finally able to trade his rights to Toronto FC, where Guevara played for the last two seasons. Preki then took over the Canadian side and promptly waived him (again) and Guevara is back in Honduras (again).
Kevin Hartman, unfortunately, is not quite as lucky. Entering the twilight of his career at age 35, the former Galaxy and UCLA standout 'keeper was recently waived by his club, the Kansas City Wizards. Given the stage of his career, the possibility of his rights being traded are rather slim. Now, the standout 'keeper is facing the real possibility of an early retirement. Combined with the low salary cap under which teams function, it does not bode well for him from the financial side of things, as has been the case with many others. This is why the Players Union considers it such an important issue.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber shared the league's viewpoint on Thursday, highlighting that the league will not lockout the players, putting the onus of a strike squarely on the shoulders of the Players Union.
For a sport still trying to establish itself in this country as a viable alternative to the many other options, this can't help. Negotiations are ongoing, so hope remains that a resolution will be found prior to the season's start, but if not, the countdown will be for the day on which the likely strike will finally end.