For decades, the United States operated outside the FIFA training compensation and solidarity fees payment system. Until 2019, neither the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) nor FIFA sought to bring U.S. clubs into the fold. As a result, Major League Soccer (MLS) and its clubs stood on an island alone among professional football clubs in the world.

In large part, FIFA did not enforce payments against MLS clubs because, for many years, the U.S. youth soccer system remained largely undeveloped, and no youth club filed claims with FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC). However, as U.S. clubs saw the potential for significant training compensation and solidarity payments, MLS’s position began to change. In 2015, three U.S. youth soccer clubs (Dallas Texans Soccer Club, Crossfire Foundation and Sockers FC Chicago) sought training compensation and solidarity fees from European clubs. In each case, the American...

Why not join us?

Football Legal is an independent media publishing football law contents on a daily basis dedicated to all football law practitioners (lawyers, clubs, federations, intermediaries, football stakeholders, etc.).

Register today and stay tuned to the latest legal news.

Get started