Sounders not happy with Club World Cup money: ‘There’s no incentive for us to play’
RENTON, Wash. – Frustration is building among MLS players expected to participate in the FIFA men’s Club World Cup in June due to the league not responding to requests to negotiate how participation money is divided.
Soccer’s governing body announced in March the tournament will have a record $1 billion prize pot. FIFA included a tiered system for how the money would be distributed – with the Sounders, Inter Miami CF and possibly Los Angeles FC, if they win a play-in match against Club América, receiving a $9.55 million payday for participating as part of the CONCACAF clubs.
FIFA was clear the money is to entice players and clubs to treat the debut of the tournament’s new 32-team format seriously. But MLS, according to the Players Association, isn’t reflecting that mission.
Under the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, which was ratified in 2021, the CWC falls under a clause for “performance and/or participation in a compulsory tournament or noncompulsory tournament.” That stipulates a collective $1 million cap for players, which in the case of the initial CWC earnings would be an approximate 90-10 split.
“There’s no incentive for us to play, really, if you’re talking about 90-10 for performance bonuses,” Sounders keeper Stefan Frei said Wednesday. “I don’t think that’s what FIFA had intended. They’re worried about the players being fairly compensated for the extra workload. We feel the same way. We’re not arguing about more money coming in for bonuses at all, just divvied up accordingly.”
The league didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Union leadership for the clubs held virtual meetings the past month to educate their teammates and strategize. Midfielder Cristian Roldan, defender Jackson Ragen and keeper Andrew Thomas are representing the Sounders.
MLS has revisited CBA issues in the past and may seek the MLSPA’s approval for a change in its competition schedule. But for the unprecedented CWC windfall, the league hasn’t even considered budging, as of Wednesday.
And the discrepancy could grow if one of the MLS clubs is successful.
The CWC format consists of three pool matches in which the top two finishers will advance to the knockout stages. Clubs earn $2 million for wins and $1 million for draws. Teams that advance out of the group stage receive another $7.5 million. The tournament finale is slated for July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the runner-up gets $30 million, and the champion earns $40 million.
Seattle opens play against reigning Copa Libertadores champion Botafogo on June 15 at Lumen Field. The Sounders will host Spanish power Atlético Madrid on June 19 and France’s Paris Saint-Germain on June 23. PSG is playing Italy’s Inter Milan for its first UEFA Champions League title on May 31.
Botafogo will receive a $15.21 million participation payout. Atlético and PSG are part of 12 European clubs that will be paid between $12.81 to $38.19 million based on sporting and commercial rankings, according to FIFA.
The only criteria FIFA made regarding the purse is owners can’t pocket the earnings.
“To potentially be playing for essentially pennies could be frustrating,” Roldan said Wednesday. “We are engaging more than they (MLS) are and that’s a bit frustrating because we want to resolve it together. That’s at the end of the day what players are fighting for. There are no terms on the actual Club World Cup, so we want to create those terms.”
Injury updates
Ragen was part of training Wednesday and remains on track to be available to play Saturday when the Sounders (5-4-5) host FC Dallas (4-5-4) at Lumen. He suffered a hamstring injury in a road win against Dallas on April 12.
“I’ve got a smile on my face because he looked sharp,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of the session. “But he’s got to pass some tests, so we’ll see.”
João Paulo was also part of training after suffering from a bout of food poisoning last week. But Schmetzer said the midfielder not being part of the gameday roster for the draw against Portland was mainly a “coach’s decision.”
“He put in heavy minutes, and he worked his butt off against LAFC,” Schmetzer said of the 4-0 road loss last week.
Sounders on Xfinity
Xfinity announced Wednesday it will carry MLS’ “Sunday Night Soccer” beginning this weekend with a matchup between Atlanta and FC Cincinnati. The Sounders’ match against Minnesota on June 1 is also part of the free offer for Xfinity customers.
The weekly matches are available on Xfinity X1 and the Xfinity Stream app throughout the duration of the season. Customers can also say “MLS” into their voice remote to start watching. No additional subscriptions are required.