MLS Announces Roster Rules and Realignment

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 10:45 AM PST in Sounders: MLS Regular Season

Let's get the simplest portion out of the way first. The two expansion Cascadia brothers of Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers are in the West as MLS is not insane. The only club moving are the Houston Dynamo who extend the Eastern Conference a tiny bit West. One should fully expect this to be a one year move for them, and one that is merely aesthetic with the balanced schedule.

It is still unknown how MLS Playoffs will be structured.

Readers here will recall that Jeremiah told the story of the way the current rosters could be built. All of that is now official according to MLS.

The impact on the Sounders is not dramatic. Of course players would welcome a way to move from the lower rungs into a senior contract, but let's look who applies where, at this time and pending changes as the team boards airplanes for Arizona.

Senior Slots

- Yes, the Sounders have one too many players on Senior Roster

Slots 21-24 (League Min) - Formerly Known as Developmental

* Mike Fucito will not meet age requirements to move down to slots 25+

Slots 25-30 (32k and under 25) - Reserves, HGPs, GA

Michael Tetteh
Other drafted players not yet under contract

-Previously unreported note about final roster spots: Final two spots can be left unfilled and used for $35,000 in allocation money instead.

Drafted in 2011 - fitting into 25-30 slots but not under contract, still in camp

Rights Controlled Players

Julien Baudet
Lamar Neagle
Jamel Wallace

There are other rights controlled players but none are currently playing at the pro or semi-pro level.

Internationals (7 slots after Sounders traded one to the Portland Timbers) - Gonzalez, Friberg, Fernandez, Montano, Tetteh and Earls. Which leaves one slot open for either a drafted international or later signing.

Because the Home Grown Player gets so many questions here it is in full

(F) HOME GROWN PLAYER SIGNINGS

A club may sign a player to his first professional contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has trained for at least one year in the club’s youth development program and has met League criteria. Players joining MLS through this mechanism are known as Home Grown Players.

There is no limit to the number of Home Grown Players a club may sign in a given year.

It is also confirmed that Seattle will add to its Allocation Dollars coffers as they have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League. The amount is unknown, but at least we know Adrian has some flexibility around his very tight cap situation.

Tweet Comment 25 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Technicality

I hate being the guy who points out typos on blogs but…
Where you say “slots 20-24” should actually be “slots 21-24”.

by Jeff Kusowski on Jan 28, 2011 11:09 AM PST reply actions

Thank you

Will be correct in instant

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 11:10 AM PST up reply actions

Definition of a player taking a senior roster spot?

What defines a player who takes a senior roster spot over a developmental roster spot. Seeing how developmental players don’t count against the cap and can be paid more than the league minimum, why not move a player that makes “a lot,” say O’Brian White onto the developmental roster and move a player that makes the league min to the senior roster.

by Kix on Jan 28, 2011 11:10 AM PST reply actions

I think that more than league minimum clause is not large

Montano for example made 8$ more than the min. Being single entity it is unlikely that the League would approve that clearly going around the rules.

So some of those near minimum guys could move down (Scott, Levesque, Graham, maybe others). I would not expect it.

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 11:14 AM PST up reply actions

That's a good question

Trying to re-read the rules and it seems like that’s a big loophole. I’ll see if I can’t get some clarification on it.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 28, 2011 11:16 AM PST up reply actions

I'm also trying to figure out how slots 25-30 work exactly

I understand how GA players work and how they graduate to the senior roster. And from what i gather a team can sign a home grown player to their first professional contract, which can be for as long and for how much the team chooses, then once that first contract expires they move up to the senior/developmental roster. The remaining spots in 25-30, if a team chooses to use them all, are for players under 25 who can make between 32,600 and 42,000 or for additional players who couldn’t fit on the developmental roster who make the league min or slightly more??? Is it safe to assume this or do all reserves have to be under the age or 25 and only able to make 32,600 or slightly more as appose to the league min or slightly more. Maybe it is too much work to understand this system.

by Kix on Jan 28, 2011 12:21 PM PST up reply actions

I think you nailed it here

if a team chooses to use them all, are for players under 25 who can make between 32,600 and 42,000 or for additional players who couldn’t fit on the developmental roster who make the league min or slightly more???

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 12:36 PM PST up reply actions

New theory

Once a player gets “promoted” from one roster to a higher one they can’t be moved back down. For a reserve roster player, once 1) a GA graduates, 2) a home grown player signs a second contract, or 3) a reserve player turns 25, the player is promoted to the developmental roster (if paid the league min) from then on. For developmental players, once 1) a player signs a contract for more than the league min, or 2) when they have been in the league for more than two years or played enough league matches or something something something, they will be know as a senior player from then on. If this theory were true and i hadn’t just made it up i still don’t know for sure what differentiates the developmental roster form the senior roster.

by Kix on Jan 28, 2011 3:29 PM PST up reply actions

two years in the league doesn’t work as Fucito has been in the league for two now

by Kix on Jan 28, 2011 3:40 PM PST up reply actions

I have an answer

Regardless of the how the rules are written, I’m assured that players in spots 21-24 must make the league minimum or there abouts.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 28, 2011 3:52 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

yeah

there should be a way to remove posts because i understand now. All part of the trouble of understanding mls.

by Kix on Jan 28, 2011 4:06 PM PST up reply actions

DL

I’m assuming they will get the senior roster under compliance by putting one or more guys on the injured list much like they did last year?

by lefthand on Jan 28, 2011 12:01 PM PST reply actions

Yes, the injured list still exists

Up to 4 players who will miss at a minimum 6 MLS League games, but an play in non-League matches (US Open Cup, CCL, Reserves).

Noonan, Boss, Jaqua, Graham would seem to be on the list of possibles for that.

If the thought that Boss would only start non-League matches the team could game the system and have him there the full season having best of Ford/Meredith be the back-up.

There is NO salary cap relief for the IL though.

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 12:08 PM PST up reply actions

Bye Bye Noonan

Or so one can hope

by MMAWrestling on Jan 28, 2011 12:02 PM PST reply actions

I’m curious if the CBA ties our hands regarding this?

by PeterJH on Jan 28, 2011 2:41 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

Being not jerks ties hands

Should an injured player be allowed to at least complete when they return to health?

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 2:43 PM PST up reply actions

I don't understand this point

My question was related to the new CBA. My understanding is players with so many years experience at least have guaranteed incomes that count against the salary cap. If my understanding is correct then this is a factor that comes into play (though may not be the deciding factor).

by PeterJH on Jan 28, 2011 2:55 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

I think they could cut Noonan and remove his cap hit under the CBA

But this would take some researching. Pretty sure this year is a club option.

Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, North American soccer editor SB Nation and of course follow me on Twitter

by Jeremiah Oshan on Jan 28, 2011 2:58 PM PST up reply actions

If I am not mistaken (and I probably am), wouldn't he have to be released before the season or his salary is guaranteed?

by Coug1990 on Jan 28, 2011 3:05 PM PST up reply actions

There is a cut by date

It is during the season. I don’t know the specific date for this year.

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 3:06 PM PST up reply actions

My point, probably put too bluntly

is that I don’t think that the CBA is the limiting factor

I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart

by Dave Clark on Jan 28, 2011 3:07 PM PST up reply actions

That was my theory once I heard he was still significantly limted by injury

I would be surprised if the FO had signed him to a 2 year contract right off the bat.

by Nevtelen on Jan 28, 2011 5:49 PM PST up reply actions

Hopefully

the realignment news is prelude to getting a schedule. Still waiting MLS…

You will hear us on Brougham, you will hear us on Occidental, you will hear us on King. We are all around you, there is no escape.

by 108Ultra on Jan 28, 2011 8:32 PM PST reply actions

Last season the schedule was released Feb 3

So hopefully that means it is coming out this upcoming week. Regardless, they are cutting it a bit tighter this year given the season starts 10 days earlier than last season.

by PeterJH on Jan 29, 2011 9:37 AM PST up reply actions

Just for the heck of it

let’s assume the team puts Noonan on the IL to get down to 20 senior players. Then they sign Fucito and Montano to 2 of the ‘formerly-known-as-Developmental’ slots (21-24). Tetteh is already in one of the 25-30 slots as a GA. That leaves 2 of the 21-24 slots open at league min and 5 of the ‘new Developmental’ slots at 25-30. I assume Estrada and Seamon will be resigned or are still under contract (could either of them be moved down to the 25-30 range?), that leaves 5 slots open, most or all probably in the 25-30 range. Assuming the Sounders sign one of the 2 keepers, that’s 4. Assuming they sign Cruz, since that seems like a plan, that’s 3 slots left. Since Carrasco is about the only real DM around besides Ozzie, let’s assume they sign him. That makes 2 left.

So, that leaves 2 slots for maybe Earls or maybe Kambaba or another of the trialists (or they can leave these slots open and get allocation $, right?)

by Nevtelen on Jan 29, 2011 2:23 PM PST reply actions