In 2009, the Montreal Impact gave up two stoppage-time goals to Santos Laguna, and fell at the CONCACAF Champions League’s quarter-final stage. In 2015, the Impact is set to meet Pachuca in the quarter-finals — and the Canadian side is carefully preparating for its Mexican opponent. Can the Impact exorcise the demons of 2009?

“The Collective Bargaining Agreement is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2015,” Foose wrote in an e-mail. “When it expires, the obligation not to engage in a work stoppage also expires. I do not want to comment on when or if there would be a work stoppage. All I can say is that unless there is a Collective Bargaining Agreement in place, there is always the possibility of a work stoppage.”

Mirror, mirror on the wall — what are the biggest issues MLS faces of all? An upcoming CBA negotiation and uncertainty over the kickoff of the 2015 season. An increase in NASL spending that’s putting pressure on MLS to offer improved entry-level contracts. The fact that there are still wide gulfs between how MLS does deals and how the rest of the world does deals. We asked agents across North America for their input — and we got some very, very interesting answers. Here’s a rare peek behind the scenes...

The MLS Players Union has confirmed that both Matt Stinson and Terry Dunfield, two Canadian players cut by Toronto FC earlier this year, are still on the payroll.

Two players. That’s the grand total of eligible out of-contract players who got new deals with new clubs during Wednesday’s first-ever MLS draft. And neither was what you would call a marquee name — striker Joseph Ngwenya was taken first overall by D.C. United — and defender Aaron Hohlbein, who spent time in second-division soccer last season with Miami FC, was taken by Columbus Crew. The star names, like Designated Player Juan Pablo Angel, were left untouched. Actually, pretty well everyone was left untouched through Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft, where teams are required to at least match what the players made last season.