Mar 05, 2026
3 min read
The opening of the USL Championship is uncertain due to the ongoing dispute with the CBA
Uncertainty continues to surround plans for the 2026 USL season, with the USL and the USL Players Association appearing far from reaching an agreement on a new collective agreement.
The two sides met for five hours on Wednesday with a mediator present to facilitate talks.While progress has been made on some key issues, the USL and USLPA remain far apart, with an agreement unlikely to be reached this weekend.
USL and USLPA have been trying to come up with a new CBA since August 2024. The previous contract was set to expire at the end of 2025, although the two sides have been operating under the terms of that agreement while negotiations continue.
The talks come as the USL seeks to create a separate Division 1 league to sit atop the USL Championship while implementing a promotion and relegation system starting in 2028.
The USL Championship season begins March 6 in Lexton, South Carolina.The remaining USL Championship teams are scheduled to play this weekend.But suspending the start of the season was a vote last week by USLPA members that allowed its negotiating committee to call a strike when it felt action was necessary.
It is currently unclear whether the USLPA bargaining committee will call a strike this weekend.One union source said that "discussions are still ongoing" and that the union is "not particularly enthusiastic" about the offer USL has put on the table.
USL president of competition and administration Brett Lui said the two sides are continuing to negotiate in good faith, but he believes the USLPA has not met the USL halfway."We need a dance partner here," she said over the phone.
By telephone, USLPA chief Connor Tobin declined to comment.
Wednesday's meeting saw some movement on a number of issues including minimum compensation, salary and housing allowance for players.The USL agreed to increase its offer from $38,500 to $40,000 per year, while the USLPA reduced it from $43,000 to $42,000 per year.
USL noted that, unlike the previous CBA, health insurance is now a separate benefit in addition to salary and housing.But union sources counter that what USL is saying is more surprising.
The league is also asking to be allowed to sign four players to what it calls an entry-level contract — known in the previous CBA as a "flexible contract" — that will pay $33,000 a year in salary and housing.
USL agreed to remove from its proposal a clause allowing them to buy three contracts per team over two years.This was a big issue for the USLPA last week, and the organization emphasized that the existence of such sales is something they do not agree with.
The league's latest offer increased protections for players on teams that stop working.According to the USL, the promise is that if the team folds before December 1st of the year, the players will receive six months' salary.If the team folds between December 1 and the start of the following season, the affected players will receive nine months' salary and two months' housing.The USLPA responded that both periods should include two months of housing assistance and health insurance.
The USL also established terms that pay bonuses to players on title-winning teams, as well as individual awards.The players will also be compensated for personal appearances and sales promotions at the league level.
The rest of the important issues were not discussed at Wednesday's meeting.Among them is the mandate, according to which the club provides health insurance for the players.While there is an agreement between the two sides that it should be included in the CBA, the issue is tense between the USL bids, where players have the option of getting the same policies available to all other club employees, while the USLPA wants to play.
The issue of NIL rights, another important point for players, was also not discussed.The players are asking for $625,000 while the league is offering $125,000.
