League Rejects Players’ Plan for Cuts

The Major Indoor Soccer League said Wednesday it has rejected a counterproposal from the players’ union to cut the salary cap to $1 million instead of the $898,000 demanded by the league, bringing closer the owners’ threatened termination of the league.

The owners announced Tuesday that if their demand to reduce the salary cap was not met by April 15, they would terminate the league at the end of the regular season, April 17, and forgo the playoffs.

John Kerr, the MISL Players Assn. director, was not available for comment Wednesday but said in a press release that he believed MISL Commissioner Bill Kentling was attempting to destroy the players’ union by not responding to the players’ offer.

League spokesman Kevin O’Keefe announced that the union had sent the MISL a two-page letter earlier Wednesday proposing the alternative, which included a $1 million cap and a 27.5% cut for all team general managers, coaches and league personnel.

But Kentling said the league’s proposal is pretty much final.

“If they agree, if they say yes, the league will go forward,” he said. “If it’s a no, we will terminate operations on the close of business on April 17.”