Landon Donovan took a plane from London to Los Angeles on Sunday, wrapping up his 10-week loan spell with Everton.
After hitting an In-N-Out, he’ll be getting set to start the MLS season with the Galaxy.
Maybe.
As I’m sure you’ve heard, his fellow MLS players have voted to strike if a new collective bargaining agreement with the league isn’t reached by March 25, the scheduled opening night for the league.
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Sold out crowd at Lockhart Stadium for Miami Fusion v DC United
I had the sudden realization Sunday that if aliens descended on my town and were asked to find any life of Major League Soccer in South Florida, the only thing they would find is MLS trading cards in the bargain bin of the local dollar store. Seriously.
Sadly, Major League Soccer is extinct in South Florida. The nearest MLS team is 1,000 miles away. The last time I saw anyone wearing a MLS jersey was more than two years ago. And the last time there was a trace of a MLS team in all of Florida was nine years ago.
I sound like a broken record, but the reality is that if it wasn’t for television, I would be — as the Brits say — a miserable old git. It’s practically my only outlet to watch the professional game. And even then, the amount of MLS coverage is few and far between especially when compared to the smorgasbord of European soccer on US TV.
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Before ESPN or Fox Soccer Channel begins the live broadcast of a Major League Soccer game on a Saturday evening, many soccer fans are burned out. They’re burned out from watching a smorgasbord of European soccer that has been on television all day.
Take a typical Saturday on US cable and satellite television, for example. Soccer fans in the United States can watch 7 live English Premier League games (more than anytime in US history), 1 live Serie A game, 3 La Liga matches and 2 Bundesliga games. That totals 13 live games (i.e. 26 hours of live coverage) before a Saturday evening MLS game begins on television. And those 26 hours don’t include the handful of European games shown on delay or the EPL-centric shown on Saturday mornings such as the Barclays Premier League Preview Show and Fox Soccer Match Day.
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Los Angeles Galaxy attacker Landon Donovan, during Sunday's match at Goodison Park, Liverpool. (Photo: ZumaPress)
From Liverpool, we are reading quotes from Everton FC manager David Moyes saying that a strike means Landon Donovan would stay at Everton.
“The loan officially finishes tomorrow and we will send him back but I think there is still a chance that the players there might strike and if that was the case then we are able to keep him, no problem,” Moyes says, in a quote published on the Everton FC web site.
However, in a quote published by the UK Press Association, Moyes is less definitive.
“I don’t know yet whether this is Landon’s last game, there is still a chance that there could be a players’ strike in the US and that could give us the chance of having him a bit longer,” the Everton boss says.
The AFP was equally guarded in their assessment, using “could” instead of something closer to what was published by Everton.
Language near the bottom of this AP report (that includes a quote from Galaxy coach Bruce Arena) seems to hint a deal would have to be worked out.
The real answer seems to be unknown, as international soccer has never before confronted this problem, leaving all parties with nothing beyond speculation and hope, two tenuous tenants.
Unfortunately (because of this context), the rest of this post is build upon the same; however, it is important to note the uncharted waters into which the MLS and MLSPU are drifting means there are few obvious answers regarding Landon Donovan’s immediate future. [click to continue…]
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Negotiations continue in the stalemate between Major League Soccer and the players union, and a strike now looks more likely to happen unless a new collective bargaining agreement is in place.
The negotiations have split the soccer community between those that sympathize with the players and those who want Major League Soccer to stand firm. And it now it looks possible that an agreement may not be place before the first kick of the 2010 Major League Soccer season when Philadelphia Union plays Seattle Sounders.
But what about you? Who do you support? Vote in the poll below and share your opinions in the comments section below.
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To the readers of the Major League Soccer Talk site, after months of careful planning and finding ways to discuss the game that we are all passionate about, I have decided to make a return to the internet airwaves thru Blog Talk Radio.
I have been writing for a good while on my old blog on CSRN and currently here on MLS Talk. But I have to admit that I have always had the bug of being infront of a microphone and discussing these moments with you good people for at least once a week or more. Some of you know I was the New York Red Bulls reporter for the old CSRN show Around the League in 90 Minutes & occasionally called up The 2G’s, helped Kartik Krishnaiyer when he hosted the American Soccer Show, and of course the MLS Talk Podcast.
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After a couple of days worth of meetings in Washington D.C. with federal mediator George H. Cohen, Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union agree on only one thing:
There isn’t a work stoppage.
Right now.
Here’s the net result of the meetings so far, a joint statement about the progress of the negociations:
“MLS and the players’ union have agreed to continue collective bargaining agreement discussions with the FMCS.”
The Washington Post’s Steven Goff reports that the sides aren’t expected to meet today, however.
Guess this is the day everyone’s planning to tour the Smithsonian.
So, this is good news, right? There’s still no strike, and the season is still slated to get under way soon.
Well, yeah.
Until you read this on the CBC Web site.
Toronto FC’s Nick Garcia, one of their player representatives, is throwing down the gauntlet.
“We are united as a union and if we need to strike, we will,” he told the CBC. “We’re anticipating not having the season starting (on time). As of now, for us, we’re very far apart — even with the mediator there in D.C. We’re hoping things can get done, but quite frankly I don’t think we’re confident things will.”
Oh, and that starting the season under the old CBA idea?
Not happening, according to Garcia.
“We’re not prepared do that,” the said. “That’s one thing we are not going to (do). We are prepared and willing to not start the season with the current CBA.”
Not to be an alarmist, but this may not be going well.
“We, as a union, have come more than half-way (in the negotiations),” Garcia said. “To this point, the league hasn’t taken us seriously, so for me I don’t think real issues have been addressed and I know other guys on other teams feel the same way.”
Now, I suppose it’s possible that Garcia is just shooting his mouth off and his sentiments are not the prevailing ones among the rank and file.
But if Garcia is speaking for the players, things might be about to get even nastier between the owners and players.
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