Jury Rules in Favor of League in Player Suit

A federal court jury in Boston on Monday unanimously found in favor of Major League Soccer in a class-action lawsuit that had been filed against the league by eight of its players.

The suit claimed that the league is an illegal monopoly designed to keep player salaries low and accused MLS of conspiring with U.S. Soccer to create or maintain the monopoly by blocking other Division One leagues from being formed.

After a 12-week trial--and only one day’s deliberation--the jury found in favor of MLS. The case, filed in 1997, cost MLS “in excess of $10 million” to defend, and Commissioner Don Garber said Monday the money could have been better spent had the players not been misled.

“We never viewed this as a lawsuit between Major League Soccer and our players,” Garber said. “This case was brought by the NFL Players Assn. and its attorneys, and they brought it for reasons of their own and [as part of] an agenda that we believe didn’t have anything to do with what was in the best interests of Major League Soccer players.”

The NFLPA funded the lawsuit and helped represent the players based, many believe, on its opposition to the single-entity concept, the business structure under which MLS operates and a model that has since been followed by the WNBA, NFL Europe and the XFL.

In April, the court ruled in a summary judgment that the league’s single-entity structure is both legal and proper.

“We do believe that our players were misled by their representatives in pursuing something that was not necessarily in the best interests of the sport,” Garber said.

Ivan Gazidis, the league’s executive vice president for player relations, said many MLS players and their agents had not been in favor of the lawsuit.

Attorney Michael A. Cardoza, who represented MLS, said he is “confident there is no valid basis to appeal” the jury’s finding, although the MLS players and their representatives are expected to appeal the verdict.

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The Galaxy will play Puebla of Mexico in a charity fund-raising game tonight at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium. Alexi Lalas could make an appearance for the Galaxy as a guest player in the 7:30 p.m. game.