MLS Players Association

Player Relations Manager

Institutional Knowledge of MLS

• Former Player Experience: My experience as a player for 4 clubs in the formative stages of MLS has given me a well-rounded perspective and a broad network of existing relationships which I rely on heavily in my day-to-day work with MLS players and staff.

• Player Relations Experience: After nearly 5 years working in Player Relations with MLSPA, I have amassed a range of experiences addressing nearly all of the league processes, rules and idiosyncrasies that can affect a player in MLS. Those player-facing elements have been contractual, player movement related, disciplinary committee, legal or SABH issues, personal matters, as well as extending to general mentorship and guidance. Throughout my experience, I’ve gained a comprehensive understanding of the driving forces behind successful players, coaches, and organizations in MLS.

• Navigating the Complexities of MLS: During my tenure at the PA we have negotiated 3 separate Collective Bargaining Agreements, giving me extensive knowledge of the contract between players and Major League Soccer. In addition to the CBA, I’m also familiar with Roster Rules and Regulations, understanding player movement mechanisms, timing and processes, Competition Guidelines, Disciplinary Committee processes, structure, and culture.

• Being a Student of the Game: My knowledge base is a product of being a former MLS player and the versatility of my role as a Player Relations Manager. My career in soccer has kept me immersed in MLS soccer culture - attending MLS games, training sessions, events, as well as visiting training facilities, locker rooms, and stadiums. I watch MLS Games consistently (at least 3-5 matches weekly) and watch highlights from all matches weekly. We track player movements, injuries, and player news as best as possible. My goal is to be a student of the game and never stop learning.

Building Trust and Managing Relationships

My approach to Player Relations starts with showing professionalism and positivity, treating players with respect and commanding respect in turn. Through maintaining a service-oriented mentality and prioritizing players’ well-being and success both on and off the pitch, my expectation is always to leave each person, place, or situation better than it was when I arrived. These core principles have been vital in my personal strategy to build strong relationships and trust with players, coaches, and staff around MLS.

• Keys to Player Communication: My basic keys to building strong relationships are timeliness, tone, punctuation and grammar, personality (being your authentic self), making the extra effort, and most importantly listening and engaging authentically with each person on the right level.

• Know Your Audience: Before communicating with players, research contracts, relevant news and social media to understand recent player history. Knowing about things like injuries or personal events can inform your communication and help solidify relationships.

• Professionalism and Preparation: Take a disciplined and passionate approach to MLSPA work on behalf of the players. Know the relevant issues at hand, know how to inform and educate players about them. Understand the importance of player perception with regards to appearance and attire.

Bridging the Gap with International Players

• Being Bilingual: I have been fluent in Spanish since attending bilingual elementary school growing up in Washington, DC. As a result of being around the game my entire life, I’ve always found ways to practice my Spanish and it has improved as I’ve gotten older.

• Bridging the Gap: When I joined MLSPA in 2017, I was hired with the primary responsibility to engage and motivate the Spanish-speaking players in MLS to become more involved with the upcoming CBA negotiations. Once they were engaged, my task was to inform them, update them, integrate their ideas and opinions with the larger group of players, and help drive everyone towards the collective goal. Without the full weight of the player pool behind us in CBA negotiations, we knew that we could not get the best deal possible on behalf of the players.

• Building Relationships: The first step in my strategy was building relationships with the international players, for which I leaned on some of my general trust building principles. Engaging authentically, asking questions, and being vulnerable about my experience helped players to see that we were on the same team and fighting together for the same outcomes.

• Managing Emotions: Negotiating a CBA is an emotional process, and managing emotions is vital to achieving positive outcomes. For example, explaining the potential of a work stoppage to international players who were new to MLS was always a delicate topic that needed to be handled with the utmost care.

• Achieving Solidarity: By speaking with players in the right ways and meeting them on their respective levels, I’m happy that I could mobilize the international player pool in MLS to make a major impact in our CBA negotiations.