The Major League Soccer Players Association released Thursday released a list of players who are eligible for free agency entering the 2021-2022 offseason.

Included in the list are both free-agency eligible players who are out of contract, as well as free-agency eligible players who are out of contract but have an option year remaining on their contract.

This marks the first time this list has been released publicly by the MLSPA.

The MLSPA noted that:

* Heading into the 2021-2022 offseason there were 127 free-agency eligible players across MLS, a 149 percent increase from the same period two years earlier (2019-2020).

* Under the new 24-years-old and 5 years-of-service eligibility standard, 26 percent of the MLS player pool meets the eligibility threshold for free agency. In the final year of the last CBA, 11 percent of the MLS player pool met the eligibility threshold.

Free-Agency eligibility standards:

* 24-years-old and five years of service

* No cap on number of free agents a team can sign

* No salary restrictions up to max salary budget charge

* No player exclusions based on salary

 

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.