TUKWILA — Under other circumstances, Monday would have been a celebration.
The opening day of Sounders FC training camp would have been a day to look back at all the successes of the franchise’s first season, and dream about what Year 2 has in store for Major League Soccer’s model franchise.
But instead of reminiscing about sold out stadiums, a playoff berth and last year’s U.S. Open Cup title, and how 2010 could be even better, the talk Monday was about a potential lockout.
The Sounders were back on the field Monday to kick off their preseason, but they practiced not knowing if they would still be training together at this time next week. The league’s current collective bargaining agreement expires Jan. 31, and if a new deal isn’t reached before then, owners could decide to lock out the players on Feb. 1.
“For sure everyone — players, coaches, managers — would be more excited if we knew everything was behind us,” Sounders FC general manager Adrian Hanauer said. “But that’s the reality of pro sports. Quite frankly it’s the reality of any business. There are contract negotiations, and again, hopefully cooler heads prevail and everyone gets a deal that they’re OK with.”
Cautious optimism seemed to be the prevailing mood regarding labor negotiations. The battle seems to hinge on the players wanting a change in the current policy, which has players negotiate contracts through the league, not individual teams. The players union sees this as a violation of FIFA rules, but soccer’s governing body has decided not to intervene in the dispute. According to FIFPro, an organization that represents players unions around the world, including Major League Soccer’s, nearly 80 percent of the players in the league do not have guaranteed contracts, and players do not have freedom to move from one MLS team to another after their contracts expire.
But despite the possibility of a lockout, Sounders players and coaches tried to stay upbeat.
“I’m optimistic, I think guys around the league are optimistic, so hopefully something can get done,” said defender James Riley, the team’s union representative. “… I’m not going to get in too much detail on the whole CBA thing to be honest. We’re waiting to hear back on some issues, but obviously both sides want to resolve the issue as soon as possible so guys can just concentrate on preseason.”
Added goalkeeper Kasey Keller: “I’m not too stressed about that. If it happens it happens, you can’t do anything about it.”
Given Major League Soccer’s still shaky status in much of the country, Riley thinks a work stoppage would be bad for the league.
“At this point I think it is just because soccer in general, especially in Seattle, is on the up and up, so I think any work stoppage is detrimental to the league,” he said.
Labor unrest led to another distraction Monday, as the team’s start midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was a no-show, as expected. Ljungberg, the team’s designated player who has been linked to transfer rumors going back to last season, wrote on his Web site that he is in his native Sweden and his future for this season depends on the outcome of the CBA negotiations.
Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid didn’t seem happy about Ljungberg’s absence, noting that discipline such as a fine could be coming, but Hanauer said they knew the All-Star midfielder would likely be absent.
“Freddie is a player who has options in Europe,” Hanauer said. “There have been teams that were interested, that are interested. We’re in communication with his representation, and it’s day-to-day. We would like it if he were here today, but it’s not a surprise to us that he’s not here… We knew he wasn’t going to be here today. We’re talking daily. The transfer window closes Jan. 31 in Europe, and we expect this issue to be settled in the next few days, and quite frankly we’re extremely hopeful and optimistic that Freddie will be here very soon.”
Ljungberg certainly makes Seattle better, and his teammates want him back, but according to Keller, the team’s captain, Ljungberg needs to want to be with the team.
“I want the players on this team who want to be here,” Keller said. “If Freddie wants to be here and wants to be fully committed, then sure. If he doesn’t, it’s more of a distraction than a benefit. That’s how I am. I’d much rather have a guy with less talent that wants to be here than a guy with great talent who doesn’t… If people are doubting where their heart is and where they want to be then — it’s a management question—but for me personally I would much rather play with a group of people that want to be here.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.
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