Are you finally ready to play soccer?

Cheers from soccer fans across the country rang out this week as team owners, the Players Association Executive Committee, and Player Representatives from each team approved the new NFL-proposed collective bargaining agreement. Although some people found the break from the NFL-mania a welcome respite, the overwhelming majority couldn’t wait to start planning the back doors, donning their team jerseys, cleaning up their men’s caves, and purchasing tickets to the games of football that were previously on hold. some feared, for the season.

Ads are popping up all over the internet recruiting people for their fantasy football leagues, as teams strive to sign over 1,000 free agents, draft picks, and undrafted rookies before training camps start Sunday. July 31st.

These last few days have been very exciting as fans look on anxiously and wait to see who gets added to their favorite team roster. To all of you fans, this is how it will play out … Starting at 10am EST on July 26, teams were able to do the following: 1) sign recruited and undrafted rookies, 2) speak with restricted and unrestricted veteran free agents and 3) discuss trades with other teams. So for example Eagles fans, that means the Eagles can officially buy Kevin Kolb from other teams. Then, starting at 6 p.m. EST on July 29, teams can sign veteran free agents and complete player trades. One big change you’ll notice: no more mega contracts for recruited rookies. The new collective bargaining agreement eliminates the type of agreements that guaranteed players $ 50 million in the past. Now there is a pool of rookies and limited incentives.

In the end, who won and who lost in this unprecedented NFL lockout? As with most labor disputes, neither party got everything it wanted. Team owners managed to earn a higher percentage of revenue, limiting rookie contracts and really losing no money during the lockout. Players got stricter safety rules, set more money to be paid by the league out of retired player funds, and preserved many of the free agency benefits achieved under the previous collective bargaining agreement. Additionally, players will have to reform their union to drop an antitrust lawsuit against the league, initiated when the lockout began in March. (The players decertified their union in order to continue the lawsuit.)

FYI, some of the biggest names that will be on the line during free agency are: Nhamdi Asomugha, Reggie Bush, Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes and several other great players will be traded as Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie.