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 U.S.
Soccer, the not-for-profit national governing body for soccer in
the United States, announced Friday evening that the U.S. Men's
National Team Players Association (USMNTPA) had accepted its
no-strike, no-lockout provision through the end of 2005.
With acceptance of
the proposal, U.S. Soccer will begin calling players from the
U.S. Men's National Team into training camp to prepare for the
team's opening match in the final round of
FIFA World Cup Qualifying scheduled for February 9 in Trinidad. As part of the
agreement, U.S. Soccer will begin compensating each player on a
per-game basis commensurate with the Federation's offer
currently on the table and comparable to a 38 percent increase
in earnings.
 In announcing the
acceptance of its latest proposal, U.S. Soccer President Dr. S.
Robert Contiguglia said: "We're very pleased the union has
accepted our latest proposal and given us the assurance that
there will be no strikes for any U.S. Soccer activity through
the duration of the year. This certainty allows us to
confidently begin calling players into camp and to continue
preparing for our participation in the final round of World Cup
qualifying play. This is a clear win for both the fans and the
sport of soccer in the U.S.
"We certainly
believe that moving forward in this manner can help the two
parties reach a collective bargaining agreement that is not only
good for the long-term growth of the sport in the U.S., but is
also good for our National Team players and our millions of
members."
Details on the camp
will be announced as they become available. For additional
information on the on-going labor negotiations,
click here.
Tickets Go On Sale Friday For March
30 Home Opener in Final Round World Cup Qualifying
About the National Soccer Hall
of Fame and Museum
 Located in
Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000
square foot, state-of-the-art museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame
tells the story of soccer in
America through artifacts, photographs, and video clips. The new
Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks
Zone where visitors have fun kicking,
heading and playing computer trivia stations and video
soccer games. The VideoWall portrays some of the greatest
moments and the greatest goals in history as well as live soccer
action with World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. Unique and
rare artifacts on exhibit range from the world’s oldest soccer
ball to the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy won by the USA in
1999,
Pelé's and Mia Hamm’s uniforms, Kristine Lilly’s golden
shoes, NASL championship rings, the original MLS championship
trophy, MLS gallery - it’s all at the National Soccer Hall of
Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer
Hall of Fame complex boasts the
Kicks
Zone Store,
a research library, four world-class soccer fields and
office/meeting facilities. The Hall plans to add a stadium, an
indoor soccer arena and housing facilities in the future.
The mission of
the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history,
honor the heroes, inspire the youth and preserve the legacy of
soccer in the United States.
The National
Soccer Hall of Fame is open every day of the year, except
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Admission is $9.00 for
adults, $8.00 for students, $6.50 for children 6 or older and
senior citizens. Children 5 and under are free.
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