USLPA Executive Director reiterates disappointment with USL, applauds Riverhounds players ‘massive accomplishment’ in face of adversity

During the USL Championship Final’s ceremonial walk-in before the match kicked off on Saturday, players from both the Riverhounds SC and FC Tulsa came out wearing black t-shirts which read:

USL HQ:

Pro-Rel?

Try Pro

Standards First

Both teams’ supporter groups, including the 50-plus Steel Army members in attendance, also held up signs with the same message.

Once the match ended, those watching the broadcast, on CBS or via streaming option, got to see a brief celebration, then, but due to the length of the broadcast, CBS quickly transitioned to College Football programming.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now‘s contributing reporter at the match, John Trachina made his way down to the field and things happened pretty quickly.

“After the players started celebrating with the Steel Army, I watched them for a minute or two, and when I turned around, the trophy was sitting on the ground.  Some players just started picking it up and posing for pictures,” Tranchina said as this all transpired in a frenzy and without the pomp and circumstance which would have included a stage, confetti and the whole nine yards.

“There was no ceremony at all,” Tranchina added.

“I had already interviewed (Riverhounds goalkeeper) Eric Dick in the frenzy of the moment, then a couple minutes after that, someone came over and did a more formal presentation of the MVP Award to Eric Dick, then the postgame interviews were formally staged in front of a backdrop.”

Not too long after the match, USL Players Association posted to its social media platforms, pointing out that this was the USL’s response to the players wearing the statement t-shirts.

View this post on Instagram

Additionally, on Monday, Riverhounds forward Augi Williams expressed his frustration too.

Bubbling at the surface and what transpired on Saturday, bought to light that the USL Players Association has been struggling to make progress in the past year or more to ratify and make improvements for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), as the current agreement is set to expire with the conclusion of the 2025 season.

According to various reports, the USLPA and the league have engaged in 26 bargaining sessions since Aug. 1, 2024, with little to no progress made on its key issues.

This week, USLPA’s Executive Director, Connor Tobin spoke with Pittsburgh Soccer Now in an exclusive interview, driving home the association’s primary points of emphasis in negotiating a new CBA central to players’ core welfare:  healthcare, improving working conditions and increasing overall compensation.

In speaking with Pittsburgh Soccer Now, Tobin provided more depth and context to what was shared on USLPA’s social media platforms following Saturday’s match.

“It’s disappointing because the players at Pittsburgh, have worked, in some cases for years to try to bring a championship to Pittsburgh. It’s obviously a moment that is very special,” Tobin said.

“It’s a massive accomplishment of what they’ve done and it’s disappointing to see decisions made that are not reflective of the effort. That has gone towards that and a celebration that really didn’t meet the moment because whatever concerns the league had. That’s disappointing.”

Knowing that preparations were made for a more formal, on-field ceremony, as took place in USL League One Final and also after Conference Championship games, like at Highmark Stadium after the Hounds won the Eastern Conference, did Tobin or anyone from the USLPA have any communication with the league about the ceremony being pulled?

“No,” Tobin responded.

“This was a decision that was made. In my opinion, that was made on the fly.”

Getting even deeper into topics about the USLPA’s relationships and perspectives regarding specific clubs and the league, Tobin offered additional clarity.

“I think it’s important to understand that the league, it’s not the clubs, and the clubs are not the league. These are separate entities in USL structure. They are different things,” Tobin stated.

“On that, I can’t really speak to the business decisions that either the league or its clubs will make.”

One business decision that has been hovering over the Riverhounds and something that players had to cope with during the roller coaster ride this season included Head Coach Bob Lilley being placed on administrative leave by the club with three weeks remaining in the regular season.  This led to countless speculation about what may have transpired, including something related to player concerns.

While Tobin refused to comment specifically to that case, as Executive Director for the USLPA, he reiterated that they represent player concerns when dealing with the league or specifically with the clubs.

“I think we always encourage membership to bring for concerns that they have that touched their workplace conditions,” Tobin said.

“In all these I’m not going to get into specifics with each club. What I would say is given that each of these clubs are independent businesses. They’re in different places on a number of fronts. I think it’s our hope as a place of association, continues to evolve to continue to become more stable. Continue to do things in a more equitable way in a way, that’s treats players with dignity. And I get that is something where that is not a one-size-fit with all the clubs.”

The USL has announced its intention to create a new top tier, starting possibly in 2028, as well implementing a system of promotion/relegation, which would be a first in U.S. soccer.

With the USL pushing Promotion-Relegation and Division I league messaging feverishly since this announcement was made early this year, Tobin and the players wanted to make it clear — with an opportunity to use Saturday’s nationally televised broadcast of the USL Championship’s Final as a platform — that they need to still improve basic working conditions and standards.

“From a player point of view, I think the message is pretty clear, particularly geared towards the league office that some of these concepts like Pro-Rel are very exciting. We understand that, but I think a lot of us are excited by that as well. But it is that being built upon a structure that isn’t working for everyone. We’ve got to address some of these core professional standards. Prior to going down all these routes like that, there can’t be these two different realities. I think that’s what the messaging was addressing.”

The USL Players Association was founded in January of 2018. In November of 2019, the United Soccer League formally recognized the USLPA as the collective bargaining agent for all USL Championship players, as authorized by USL Championship Players. In February of 2020, the United Soccer League formally recognized the USLPA as the collective bargaining agent for all USL League One players, as authorized by USL League One players.

The USLPA represents all players in either league who are party to a USL standard player contract. The USLPA does not represent any players party to an academy or loan contract.

Each club has one player representative, plus Riverhounds SC midfielder Robbie Mertz has served on the Players’ Executive Board.

USL and USLPA Announce Landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement