What’s Behind Sounders “Ca$h Grab” Protest Ahead of FIFA Club World Cup?
On Sunday, the Seattle Sounders dropped their home match to Minnesota United 3-2, ending a three-game winning streak in the process, but that wasn’t the big story from the evening at Lumen Field.
As the players appeared on the pitch for warmups, it became quite apparent that they were in unison in a protest against the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in which Seattle is one of three MLS teams participating. Players all wore a gray t-shirt that stated “Club World Ca$h Grab” with a picture of the monopoly man labeled as “MLS” running with a bag of money labeled “FIFA”.
Every Sounders player is currently wearing a "Club World Cash Grab" shirt in warmups. pic.twitter.com/XGIlVgSbUS— Noah Riffe (@NoahRiffe) June 1, 2025
But what exactly were the players protesting?
With their participation in this tournament, which many fans believe is the only MLS team to be awarded based on merit (winning the 2022 CONCACAAF Champions League), each MLS team will be compensated about $9.5 million, significantly more than any other non-league competition the Sounders have participated in before. In addition to the $9.5 million just for showing up, each club would earn more if they were able to move on past the group stage, pulling from a $475 million prize pool given by FIFA.
The issue lies with the MLS collective bargaining agreement which states that players can only earn 50% of bonuses from a non-league affiliated tournament, and it’s capped at $1 million total for the entire team in one competition.
As it currently stands, players would only be able to earn a maximum of 10% of the prize money, with the possibility of that ratio becoming worse if the Sounders were able to move on past the group stage. It also becomes a problem just with regular player salaries, as a player with an average salary would be due to make less per game than a normal MLS season match, which does not add up in terms of the magnitude of the game and how much the club is making compared to the players that are playing in it.
Where does it get murky? The latest CBA was negotiated before this iteration of the FIFA Club World Cup was introduced, and MLSPA believes it has grounds for a new negotiation based on the size in tournament and prize pool that isn’t clearly stated in the current agreement.
It should be noted that FIFA as an organization does not regulate how clubs distribute prize money between the players and other associated parties.
MLSPA released a statement in solidarity with Seattle’s players after the protest during warmups for Sundays game.
The MLSPA and all MLS players stand united with the Seattle Sounders players who tonight demanded a fair share of the FIFA Club World Cup prize money. #FairShareNow #FIFACWC
Full statement: pic.twitter.com/AAVyGYehxH— MLSPA (@MLSPA) June 1, 2025
In a unified post game media scrum in the locker room with multiple players facing the media, led by Sounders captain Stefan Frei and vice captain Cristian Roldan, which has not been posted by the official Seattle Sounders YouTube page, Sounders players talked about the process and what has led them to this point in needing to speak out to get everything resolved.
The players are clearly frustrated with the lack of communication and any sort of movement from the Sounders or MLS to this point, and with the tournament commencing in less than two weeks, it is becoming a distraction for a team that should be focusing on showcasing the growing quality of soccer in the United States, and Seattle as well.
Hopefully this issue can get resolved soon because it does not seem like the players will be participating as the deal is currently constructed.
