Well we are just two days away from the end of the latest extension of the MLS CBA, and while the league has said there will be no lockout and they are willing to continue to operate under the current CBA while the two sides continue to work on a new one.  The players on the other hand have made no such "no strike" statement.

I have in the past looked that 4 major issues that were first brought up as points of contention between the two sides but no it seems that there is a single issue that is left, and that is "Free Agency" and while I am not sure of the details of what the players are wanting or what the league is countering with, I do believe that this issue has merit and should be discussed but at this time there is no way to solve it.  The organization of the league and it's very structure would have to change for any real type of "Free Agency" to take place, and that is simply something that I doubt the owners or league leadership are ready for.  It is something I think must take place for the league to grow in the future, but I placed a 4-5 year timeline on that shift, not 48 hours.

So there are two very good looks at the issue:

• MLS and the MLSPU: players may have to strike (from the Fox Sports Community) the writer makes some valid points but I would say he needs to realize that the Union is fighting more for "Free Agency" than they are for living wages at the bottom of the salary guideline.
• An Open letter to MLS Players (from Match Fit USA) we know I am a fan of the open letter and this one is spot on.