Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl reports on the escalation of the labor dispute between MLS and MLSPU, the players' union. FIFPro, the international soccer union, asked FIFA to step into the dispute but the international governing body told SI.com that it won't interfere in what it considers a "domestic issue" being resolved in accordance with U.S. labor laws and not involving U.S. Soccer.

In a document made available to SI.com, MLSPU argued, "MLS is governed by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which in turn must answer to FIFA. By thumbing its nose at FIFA's regulations, MLS could jeopardize the U.S.' World Cup bid for 2018 and 2022, and could even jeopardize the U.S. national team's eligibility for next year's World Cup."

At issue is whether MLS player contracts are in violation of FIFA statutes, namely Article 13 of FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players. FIFA noted, "We have been assured that FIFA's regulations have been and will be respected." Read the original story...