section_path: Criticism/MLS players compensation
section_name: MLS players compensation
paragraph_text: MLS players compensation
  
  On June 2, players for Seattle Sounders FC wore T-shirts reading "Club World Cup Cash Grab" ahead of their match against Minnesota United FC, to criticize the compensation they were receiving from MLS for participating in the Club World Cup. The protest was organized in part by the MLS Players Association (MLSPA), which released a statement criticizing MLS and the Club World Cup: "FIFA's new tournament piles on to players' ever-increasing workload without regard to their physical well-being. In order to seize this additional calendar territory, FIFA had to commit historic amounts of prize money to secure club and player participation. As a result, MLS will receive an unprecedented financial windfall. Despite this windfall, the league has refused to allocate a fair percentage of those funds to the players themselves."