'Club World Ca$h Grab': Players don protest shirts at pregame

SEATTLE — Just in case you thought the fight over Club World Cup bonuses would fade, the players made sure that the issue is going to stay front and center for at least a little while longer when they came out for pregame wearing shirts featuring the Monopoly man and reading “Club World Ca$h Grab” on the front and “Fair Share Now” on the back. Players continued to wear them during pregame introductions and the team photo.

The MLSPA released a statement supporting the action that read in part: “For months, the players have privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal. Instead of recognizing the players who have brought MLS to the global stage, the league - which routinely asks the PA to deviate from the CBA - is clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions.”

The full statement:

In March, FIFA announced that MLS teams would each receive $9.5 million simply for participating in the newly expanded Club World Cup. A clause in the MLS CBA that was ratified in 2021 – long before the details of the Club World Cup had been announced – stipulated that players would receive 50% or $1 million of any tournament they compete in that isn't otherwise addressed.

Since then, players have made it clear that they feel some renegotiations are in order but apparently have been met with virtual silence from ownership and the league.

Notably, team bonuses do not count against the salary cap.