This year’s collective bargaining agreement was never going to upend the foundations upon which Major League Soccer was built. That much was known beforehand.



But details of the new five-year agreement between the league and the MLS Players’ Association announced on Thursday are still significant, if only because of the breadth of change brought about in one fell swoop. The growth is still incremental, keeping very much with the history of MLS. But the changes within should help the league grow in material ways.



The players made significant progress in key areas: There will be increases in guaranteed spending and more funds will be open to the entire player pool. Free agency is expanded and minimum salaries are up, as are team bonuses. There will be more charter flights and potential revenue sharing from the next media deal.



The league also maintained some key control it valued, most crucially in discretionary spending. Discretionary...