By Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page D01
The U.S. Soccer Federation has postponed indefinitely the start of training
camp for the U.S. men's national team because of a contract dispute with its
players, an impasse that could jeopardize American hopes of reaching the
2006 World Cup in Germany.
The U.S. team was scheduled to open camp Monday at Home Depot Center in
Carson, Calif., to prepare for its opening match in the final round of World
Cup qualifying, Feb. 9 at Trinidad and Tobago.
However, USSF officials said a deal needed to be reached by yesterday to
ensure that camp would open on time. Nothing will be scheduled until a
collective bargaining agreement with the U.S. National Soccer Team Players
Association is reached, USSF spokesman Jim Moorhouse said.
"We're eager to resolve the issue," Moorhouse said from Chicago. "But we're
looking for some kind of evidence that the union is looking to reach an
agreement that's good for the players, the federation and the long-term
future of the sport."
The previous agreement expired two years ago, but the players have been
participating in USSF events under the terms of the earlier deal.
U.S. players earn their living by playing for professional teams around the
world, some with contracts exceeding $1 million per year with European
clubs. They receive money from the USSF when they report to national team
training camps, appear in international matches and win games against
high-ranked opponents and in prestigious events, such as the World Cup.
U.S. players received a combined $10.4 million from the federation between
1999 and 2002, Moorhouse said. Each player on the 2002 World Cup squad
earned nearly $250,000 after the Americans reached the quarterfinals in
South Korea.
Under the USSF's new proposal, the players would receive a 38 percent
increase if the team made similar accomplishments, Moorhouse said. USSF
officials claim the players are asking for a 108 percent increase, a figure
union chief Mark Levinstein said "is not correct. We are asking for more
than 38 percent. We've had no increases for six years."
Noting the latest union proposal rejected by the USSF, Levinstein said: "The
federation again made it clear they don't want to negotiate with the
players. They haven't negotiated in good faith in two years and they're
giving us a take-it-or-leave-it offer that's half of the last offer. They're
going to play games with the entire sport and our chances of qualifying for
the World Cup."
The USSF has given the union a Feb. 1 deadline to finalize a deal, or else
the federation would begin assembling replacement players for the World Cup
qualifiers. Few, if any, players with national team experience would likely
accept an invitation, but some in MLS and the U.S. minor league system might
consent.
The United States is among six nations vying for three automatic berths in
the next Cup; the national team is scheduled to play 10 qualifiers between
February and October, starting with the game at Trinidad and followed by a
trip to arch rival Mexico. Reaching the World Cup means millions of dollars
to the USSF and its players, and invaluable international exposure for
American soccer in general.
A preliminary training camp scheduled for Dec. 13-20 in California was also
canceled.
The month-long January camp, comprising MLS players, was also to include
exhibitions against South Korea and Sweden in Southern California -- games
considered crucial tuneups before the qualifiers. But the USSF decided not
to finalize plans for those games because of the uncertainty of the
negotiations.
U.S. Coach Bruce Arena said late yesterday from his home in Fairfax that he
had yet to be told the status of the January training camp. He said he
didn't want to offer any general comments on the situation because "I'm not
part of it." But when asked about the dispute's potential impact on American
soccer's World Cup aspirations, he said, "What do you think?"
The United States has participated in every World Cup since 1990.
Mexico, the United States and Costa Rica are heavily favored to earn the
region's three World Cup berths in 2006. A fourth country will advance to a
two-game playoff against an Asian team. Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala and
Panama -- none of whom has qualified for a World Cup -- will also
participate in the final round.