Quick thoughts on the CBA. With the precedent in Fraser vs MLS, the courts said that soccer is a "world wide market" and that MLS is just one company within that market. This set the tone for why MLS single-entity was not shot down. With NASL and USL Pro, the case looks weaker so fans should not expect a revisit of the law suit.
MLS has sold all of it's new owners on the system, so don't expect them to back down. It's important that the union stay strong this time around. With so much more foreign blood coming into the league, I can see unity being a problem. No one will tell the press they disagree with the other players, but in reality, does a foreign player who sees himself here only a few years really going to care about the long term health of the league??? Most likely not.
I would predict a restricted free agency of some sort if a player has played for a certain amount of time. Last CBA, it was 10 years, this time around I expect anywhere from 5-7. In my opinion, the league will need to do something like this to keep the players happy with their union stance and the outcome, while keeping the structure intact. Anything more on the free agency side, and I see this as a victory for the MLS Player's Union.
