Reports: MLS players get pay boost from CWC prize money

Major League Soccer players landed additional compensation for their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

The players' collective bargaining agreement had stated players would receive 50% of all money that came in from outside tournaments, but capped it at $1M. The players stood to make much more as FIFA paid out $1B in total prize money, including $9.55M to CONCACAF teams just for participating.

The league and the MLS Players Association agreed on a restructured format, per the reports: The league will pay a 40% increase over the previous $1M cap to each team that competed — the Seattle Sounders, Los Angeles FC and Inter Miami — as well as 30% of performance prize money uncapped.

Clubs received $2M per win and $1M per draw from FIFA, while Los Angeles FC also picked up $250K for winning a play-in round against Club America to fill a spot in the 32-team field vacated by Club Leon.

An MLSPA spokesperson told media outlets that the players were nonetheless "deeply disappointed" with the nature of the negotiations, which stretched past the start of the tournament last month.

Before the tournament, Sounders players wore T-shirts when warming up for a game that read "Club World Cash Grab."

"While we were ultimately able to reach an agreement, players were deeply disappointed with the league's approach to the negotiation," the spokesperson said. "Stonewalling, threats and retaliation will not be effective strategies as we move into the major negotiations ahead of us."