Across the USL Championship, players are reporting for training camps, preparing for a 2026 season that’s barely a month away. From a distance, it looks like business as usual.
Those idyllic optics obscure the fact that the Championship could be in the midst of a work stoppage come March 6th.
The last collective bargaining agreement between the USL Championship and the USL Players Association expired on December 31st, and re-negotiation talks have lasted more than a year. The two sides are operating under a continuation of the prior deal for now, but significant disagreements remain – even down to the extent of the progress being made in the negotiations.
Connor Tobin, the Executive Director of the USLPA, spoke to Backheeled and characterized the CBA talks as being “frustratingly unproductive.” Another source close to the negotiations, who requested anonymity, argued that the conversations “continue to be positive.” The parties met last Thursday, and they’ll convene twice more before January comes to an end. Whether those conversations are bearing fruit on a host of key topics is up for debate.
Health insurance questions
Health insurance is one piece that remains unresolved. In the last CBA, formalized in late 2021, clubs were not required to offer team-sponsored health insurance. 25% of players had no team option in the 2025 season.
