US players announce departure of union counsel (The Associated Press)

Players for the U.S. women's national team have announced that attorney Rich Nichols will no longer serve as the union's counsel in contract negotiations with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The players' contract is set to expire Sunday. Nichols had represented U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Players Association in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, which had become more frequent this month as the deadline approached.