Major Link Soccer - Fending Off Doomsday

Collective Bargaining

In case you are the one person whom somehow made it to this post without knowing the good news, let me be the first to tell you that it's time to get up and take that paper bag off of your head because the world indeed is not going to end.

Details of the agreement are still emerging, and as it is being described as an agreement in principle, there are still some minor things to work out. Expect more details to come out today.

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy with the deal. I'm sure that this one anonymous player isn't alone in their feelings.

It's very rare that there are clear winners in these type of negotiations.  By the very nature of the process there will be concessions from both sides. Or as Alexi Lalas put it...

Nobody won. It was a tie. It’s soccer. #MLSCBA

— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) March 5, 2015

Seattle

Now that the season is officially on, we are free to start looking at our next opponent. Fox Sports recently published their season preview of the New England Revolution.

It's easy to forget how much of a gamble Stephen Frei was for the Sounders going into last season, but if you look at his history it isn't a huge surprise to learn that he personally sees it as his first successful season.

Entering his 14th as a Sounder, you may think that there is little left to learn about Zach Scott. Shame on you thinking so, because there is no getting enough of Zach Scott.

Sounders USL Affiliate S2 has announced their broadcast competition winners. These will be the voices of S2.

MLS

MLS Jersey Week continues, Sports Illustrated is maintaining a gallery of each jersey as it comes out. There are some hits and misses this year as always, but at least everyone is trying.

Well, everybody except for Sporting Kansas City who apparently forgot to replace the Adidas template guide with an actual design.

.@SportingKC unveil new primary jersey for 2015: http://t.co/i8L1w8iRSR pic.twitter.com/2fGEZrhIt1

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 5, 2015

If one team in MLS is the most relieved by the CBA movement, it would have to be Orlando City. They have been working hard on their campaign to "Fill the Bowl" going as far yesterday as to add 2,000 additional standing room tickets to their opening match.

Maybe they were able to use some of their newly acquired Disney Magic to push the CBA negotiations over the top.

If one team in MLS is the most disappointed in the CBA movement, it would have to be Toronto, as WakingTheRed had just pointed out the benefits of a work stoppage for Toronto FC.

Teams across MLS are still making last minute tweaks to their preseason roster.  New York Red Bulls has just signed a young Canadian international defender to their roster.

Meanwhile in LA, they have unveiled their newly completed giant screen at Stubhub Center. At this time, it is unclear if the screen will be used for game day highlights or just looping a Landon Donovan montage.

DC United already started their competitive play in the form of CCL Action. Unfortunately they fell behind quite substantially in their away leg. Unsurprisingly, they were not able to make up the deficit at home.

After long negotiations, things have quieted down a bit on the Miami front with David Beckham taking any ongoing negotiations behind closed doors. But that hasn't stopped the Miami-Dade County Commission from seemingly trolling Miami fans with an offer of a lot that (based on google maps estimates) measures only about 400x300 feet.

Other

Ronaldo is moving forward with his plans to make at least a few appearances for his Fort Lauderdale strikers this season. Recently he spoke about it with Diego Maradona who suggested that he too could come out of retirement (Portuguese). This clearly was not a serious suggestion.

Across the pond in England, Chelsea is making it's way up the rankings of the worst Fans in London, but proud Millwall fans are unlikely to give up this title without a fight.

Finally, rest assured that however much you embarrass yourself today, it's unlikely to match the experience of Marco Medel, a Chilean International who suffered the ignominious experience of injuring himself within 10 seconds of being substituted onto the field.