Joe Farrell

🥲✌🏼 #trusttheprocess #dreamcrazy

Supporters’ groups. Fans. Endlines. Everywhere. This weekend, when the players take a moment of stillness — stand with them. ⬆️ Stand up
🪧 Bring a sign
📣 Raise your voice
👏 Clap and cheer for the players Stand with the players. #StandUpForStandards

Players have spoken. Players have overwhelmingly REJECTED the league’s latest CBA proposal — and AUTHORIZED A STRIKE if necessary. This isn’t about extras. It’s about basic professional standards. The message is unified. The players are ready.

Players said NO. Strike authorized. 547 days of bargaining. One week from kickoff — and this is the headline. Players are unified. We’re asking for basic professional standards. There’s still time to do the right thing. #StandUpForStandards

This is not an isolated breakdown. It is a broken system that prioritizes expansion while allowing instability to fester within its ecosystem. Players deserve a league that stands behind them and a structure that protects them. This is not it. #StandUpForStandards

USLPA Statement

Justin Papadakis, USL Deputy CEO & Chief Real Estate Officer, says right now, players are viewed as expenses. Soon, they’ll be assets. He says the quiet part out loud: Players are line items. A broken system treats labor like a cost — not professionals to protect.

Yesterday, League HQ announced the “Premier League.” Take soccer out of it. A company announced a major expansion. At the same time, its workers are still bargaining for healthcare, livable wages, and basic protections. That’s not growth.
That’s a red flag. #StandUpForStandards

A CBA sets league-wide professional standards. Last season, 25%+ of USL Championship players lacked access to healthcare. Unacceptable. Connor Tobin explains why standards can’t vary by club. Watch ⬇️ youtube.com/clip/UgkxXycqY… #StandUpForStandards

“We are not aspiring for millions. We’re aspiring for a nice apartment.” Joe Farrell told The Athletic what this fight is really about: health care, stability, and a future for the next generation of professional soccer players. shorturl.at/z1IAK #StandUpForStandards

As the USL Championship CBA expires today, The Athletic lays out what’s at stake: low wages, short-term contracts, and players fighting for basic professional standards. This moment will shape the future of U.S. soccer. Read the story: nytimes.com/athletic/69296…

Tonight was our final bargaining session of 2025. With the CBA expiring tomorrow and no agreement reached, we wrote this open letter to speak directly to you, the fans, about where things stand and why this matters. Please read & share. 
#StandUpForStandards

@IHate_Your_Club Very kind words from you @IHate_Your_Club 😂🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

I do my best to hate all players who leave Pittsburgh, but I’ve never been able to hate Joey Farrell. Best of luck in whatever comes next 🫡

Former hounds defender Joe Farrell has retired from professional football at 31. He scored the club’s 1000th goal and also was in the 2023 player Shield winning team. On top of that he racked up 288 appearances. One of the best defenders I have watched. Good luck @joefarrell15_

Two finals, two leagues — completely different endings. League One got the full trophy moment. Championship got none… because players wore shirts asking for better standards. Canceling the moment doesn’t cancel the message. #StandUpForStandards @USLPlayers

ICYMI: The USL’s season is ending, but its CBA standoff doesn’t seem to be. With the USL Championship’s CBA set to expire in one month, questions about the future abound. From salaries to healthcare to the USL's ambitious future, I dig in. backheeled.com/usl-championsh…

The League is chasing Pro Rel headlines. Players are chasing rent. That ends tonight. Before kickoff, players will walk out wearing: PRO REL? TRY PRO STANDARDS FIRST. Pro Rel means nothing without real wages, safety, healthcare, and year-round support. Share this.

Across every sport, players want the same thing: a safe workplace, stability, and respect. The NFLPA supports the USLPA and the players pushing for the standards they deserve. @USLPlayers

The continued successful development of soccer in this country must happen at all levels and must always start with the players – without them, there is no game. USL Championship players are not being treated fairly in this negotiation, and that means that both the players and their fans are being shortchanged. That needs to change. The MLSPA and all MLS players stand with @USLPlayers in their fight for fair working conditions.

Players from FC Tulsa and Pittsburgh Riverhounds walk onto the field for the USL Championship final wearing shirts saying “USL HQ: Pro Rel? Try pro standards first.” USL HQ has announced a new first-division league including promotion & relegation in 2028.