USL, USLPA reach verbal agreement on landmark CBA after lengthy negotiation period

The USL Championship currently operates under a two-tiered salary system that distinguishes new professionals from league veterans.

That has remained in the new agreement, despite the fact that the USLPA pushed to do away with it. Under the terms of the new CBA, clubs are required to pay their players a minimum of $42,000, including health insurance. That represents a significant increase from the existing minimum salary of $2,600 per month over a 10-month period. However, clubs are also allowed four “entry level” slots for U-23 players, with minimum salary requirements of $34,000, sources told GOAL. In 2025, 25 percent of players made less than $35,000.

Health insurance negotiations were also a major sticking point. The USLPA, at one point, advocated for a league-wide group health insurance plan. The league proposed that all clubs must offer players the same health insurance packages that they offer their front office employees - something the USLPA ultimately agreed to. There is an opportunity for a league-wide plan to come into place at a later date, although that would mean increasing the length of the agreement by one year.

In the early stages of negotiations, the parties were focused only on hashing out an agreement for the USL Championship. However, when the USL announced in February 2025 that it would establish a Division One league, and implement a promotion-relegation system in the United States, the discussion changed. A USLPA source told GOAL that they were not aware that any announcement about a new tier of competition was imminent.

So, the agreement includes similar minimum standards for the USL Premier, which will launch in 2028. The minimum salary for that league has been officially set at $67,500, with teams allowed six entry level slots at $50,000 each. There are provisions in the agreement for salaries to increase on a yearly basis.

That setup will meet Division One standards, the same tier of competition as Major League Soccer. Salaries there, however, are significantly higher. The minimum compensation in MLS in 2027 is just under $100,000. A more apt reference point is the NWSL, which has a current minimum salary of $67,000.

Sources confirmed that there was ‘conversation’ around language for promotion and relegation, and what that might mean for player compensation - although they declined to outline any specific details.

Yet the biggest issue of all was group image licensing, which compensates the players for the league and clubs’ usage of their names, image and likenesses. At one point, a source told GOAL, the parties went through weeks on defining image licensing alone. In the end, the two sides agreed to ‘bundle’ the USL Championship, USL Premier, USL League One, and women’s USL Gainsbridge Super League into one package.

Negotiations hit an impasse around the turn of 2026, but rather picked up over the last four to six weeks after image licensing was agreed. Sources described the discussions as ‘positive’ earlier this week.

It is worth pointing out that the agreement has not yet been fully drawn up. Ratification is still necessary. Both the players and owners need to vote on the proposal before it can take effect. Sources acknowledged that there are still some weeks to go until anything can be made official. But it would seem that two years of negotiation has finally reached something of a conclusion.

The USL Championship is currently underway and will kick off its ninth Matchday this weekend.