Though the MLS rulebook has long been the butt of jokes for its plethora of acronyms, it is clear that the league’s salary structure—and selective enforcement of its rules—has played a major role in its upward trajectory for much of the past two decades.



GAM, TAM… thank you ma’am?



However, MLS’s rapid development over the last five years has convinced many within the league that the salary structure is due for its first major makeover in some time. The league has outgrown some of its rules, and if it doesn’t overhaul some of the ways it structures deals, it could risk slowing down that growth.



The next round of negotiations over the league’s collective bargaining agreement is just around the corner—the current CBA expires on January 31st, 2020—and the league is surely looking ahead to the changes it will try to make. Conversations with multiple front office officials indicate there are a few key...