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.
