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Major League Soccer has avoided its first work stoppage.

The MLS Players Union voted to approve the league’s latest proposal, setting the stage for Orlando City to make its MLS debut on Sunday. Orlando City goalkeeper Tally Hall confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement was in place.

“Deal is done” Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando said, according to a reporter stationed outside of the negotiations.

With the agreement in place, MLS will now open its regular season on time when the Chicago Fire and Los Angeles Galaxy play on Friday night. Orlando City will open the season as scheduled on Sunday evening against New York City F.C.

According to a source with direct knowledge of the deal, the new collective bargaining agreement is a five-year deal that creates free agency for players 28 years of age or older, with at least eight years experience. According to that source, a players’ raise through free agency is capped depending on salary.

Players who are making less than $100,000 can make up to 125-percent of their salary, players making between $100,000-$200,000 can make up to 120-percent, and those making more than $200,000 have a cap of up to 115 percent of their current base.

In addition, the new CBA includes a minimum salary of $60,000, a substantial step up from the 2014 minimum of $36,500. The minimum will increase incrementally per year. The source said there was also an increase in the overall salary cap, though they could not immediately provide that number.

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The last-minute agreement comes at the end of a tense standoff between the league and the players, with free agency and player compensation representing the two major sticking points. In early rounds of negotiations, players set out to earn unrestricted free agency, while the league indicated free agency would not be included in a new deal.

Progress was made in recent days, however, as the league reportedly offered a deal that included free agency for players 28 years and older with at least eight years of service. That offer also included a 10-percent cap on a raise for players who were eligible.

That free agency was even on the table was substantial movement towards compromise.

With pressure ramping up as the opening games neared, the two sides worked overtime to find common ground during negotiations in Washington D.C. Representatives for both the players and the league negotiated all day Tuesday into early Wednesday morning and then returned for more negotiations just a few hours later.

“Both the owners and the players are trying to find a common ground and doing a lot of work,” said Orlando City midfielder Amobi Okugo, who returned from negotiations late Tuesday evening. “So a lot of respect to those guys from both parties to hopefully make these games happen.”

While the talks were ongoing Wednesday in Washington D.C., Orlando City was taking an optimistic tone that it would indeed host its first-ever MLS game on Sunday.

During the team’s media day at the Citrus Bowl, leadership from owner Flavio Augusto da Silva to team president Phil Rawlins to coach Adrian Heath expressed their confidence that a deal would get done in time for an expected crowd of 62,000 to watch the Lions debut.

“We do believe, and sincerely believe, that a deal will get done and we’re looking forward to that happening in the next few hours, or if not days, to ensure that we play on Sunday,” Rawlins said.

Now, the kickoff of Orlando’s newest major league franchise is no longer in question.

Email at [email protected]. For more soccer news, visit OrlandoSentinel.com/OnThePitch or follow on Twitter @oslions.