SEATTLE — Sounders players wore white T-shirts during pregame warm-ups and player walkouts Sunday with the phrase “Club World Ca$h Grab” emblazoned on the front with Mr. Monopoly centered, wearing a hat with “MLS” on it and “FIFA $” on the money pouch. The back read “Fair Share Now.”

Once fans caught on, they chanted “Fair Share Now” in support of the players.

The protest was to call attention to owners and MLS’s unwillingness to have a formal negotiation to decide how money for the upcoming FIFA men’s Club World Cup will be distributed. Seattle opens the tournament against Brazil’s Botafogo on June 15 at Lumen Field.

Soccer’s governing body announced in March a record $1 billion prize pot will be awarded — $525 million for the 32 teams participating in the new quadrennial tournament and $475 million based on performance.

Los Angeles FC defeated Mexican side Club América on Saturday to join the Sounders and Inter Miami CF as the only MLS teams in the CWC field. Each club will earn a $9.55 million entry payout as part of the CONCACAF teams.

FIFA’s lone stipulation is a portion must go to players to help compensate for the increased workload.

According to the MLS Players Association, the league and owners, in casual conversations, are stating they’re bound by the collective bargaining agreement ratified in 2021 that caps payment to players at $1 million for “performance and/or participation in a compulsory tournament or noncompulsory tournament.”

Based on the clause, the individual rosters for Seattle, Miami and LAFC would receive $1 million apiece to be distributed however those locker rooms wish. The figure is basically a 90-10 split, which players are united in stating doesn’t align with FIFA’s intentions.

“For months, the players have privately and respectfully invited the league to discuss bonus terms, yet MLS has failed to bring forward a reasonable proposal,” the MLSPA said, in part, in a released statement. “Instead of recognizing the players who have brought MLS to the global stage, the league — which routinely asks the PA to deviate from the CBA — is clinging to an out-of-date CBA provision and ignoring longstanding international standards on what players typically receive from FIFA prize money in global competitions.

“It is the players who make the game possible. It is the players who are lifting MLS up on the global stage. They expect to be treated fairly and with respect.”

Typically, the Sounders locker room pools all bonuses and divides it among themselves at the end of the season. If the CWC participation payday were the team’s only winnings this season, the cut across the current 28-player roster would be approximately $35,700 each.

Sounders ownership, led by Adrian Hanauer, would pocket approximately $8 million to use as they want. But there are talks that MLS could also claim a portion of the funds from the three clubs, according to multiple sources.

Hanauer declined to comment about the protest Sunday.

The disparity would grow if any of the MLS teams were successful in the tournament. Teams are awarded $2 million for wins and $1 million for draws in three group-stage matches. Advance to the knockout rounds, and the club earns another $7.5 million. Quarterfinal winners receive an additional $13.125 million and the payout for the semifinals is $21 million.

FIFA will top off the CWC winner with $40 million and $30 million for the runner-up. If that team were the Sounders, it would be a minimum haul of $94.175 million.

And the players would still only get $1 million total to share under the CBA clause.

By comparison, Spanish power Real Madrid — which has won five CWC titles — claims they’ll grant their players $1 million each if they win. Or a combined 20% of the approximate $125 million the club would earn for lifting the trophy.

Minnesota didn’t wear the shirts Sunday, but the MLSPA stated it’s united in their frustration with the league and owners. The issue cuts deeper for the Sounders. They made history by becoming the first MLS club to win the modern version of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022 to qualify for the former version of the Club World Cup.

Seattle defeated Mexican side Pumas UNAM 5-2 on aggregate scoring. A tournament-record 68,741 people attended the second leg match at Lumen Field. The club earned $500,000, which was split with the players under the same CBA clause.

That prize pool has since increased to $5 million for the winner in Sunday’s CCC final between Vancouver and Mexican side Cruz Azul. Players are expected to receive at least $2 million.

“The reality is the league has changed,” said Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan, who was joined by 15 teammates for a post-match media availability in the locker room Sunday.

“We’re seeing that in Leagues Cup and we’re seeing that in Champions [Cup]. The incentives to play in those tournaments are worthwhile. They’ve made exceptions for those two tournaments. This tournament is going to be played every four years … the league needs to catch up.”

The CWC windfall total is historic because the winner will play seven matches. French power Paris Saint-Germain, which Seattle will face in the group stage, pocketed approximately $155 million for winning the UEFA Champions League title Saturday but played 17 matches.

MLS has also approached the PA to renegotiate other terms, most recently a possible change in the competition calendar. The CBA expires in 2028.

The Sounders chose Sunday’s match against Minnesota, in part, because FIFA representatives are in Seattle as part of the Club World Cup trophy tour. The match was also prime-time programming on Apple TV.

“The fact that the players are capped at $1 million is ludicrous,” Sounders keeper Stefan Frei said. “We’re fighting for ourselves, but it’s very important to fight for future generations, if you will, because MLS is growing and teams are making strides. This is an ancient clause that needs to shift.”

©2025 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.