There is a lot to chew on here. I like that the teams must use the new money and that they can trade it if needed http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ment-club-rosters-introduction-targeted-alloc
Well, that's one way to get that defender we've been needing all year. I bet some of the forward thinking teams (those who are looking to sign new, high-end players) could use some extra scratch. Who has a defender they might be willing to part with so we don't have to give up Agudelo, Fagundez, Rowe or someone else who at least is contributing?
Assuming there are no rule changes again next year (I know, BIG assumption), there are going to be some teams that are going to need to trade for the new alloc money very hard. LA for example has to use a pretty large portion on Gonzo this year if they want to sign Gio as has been rumored. They will be behind the 8 ball in coming years having to reacquire more alloc money.
Went to ESPN.com to read up on it. Had a small video with Twellman speaking he said "... and the important part is you have to use it. So teams like COL or (someone) or New England can't just sit on it..." I kind of laughed and was like, good man. Still cares about the team despite the owner and his non playing career just skyrocketing to the heights it has.
Yeah, that's the good thing about this rule. It definitely encourages teams to sign guys who are stars, but not superstars, guys in the $600,000 or so range. The fact that if you use it to pay down a guy to below the max or DP threshold (if they gave Nguyen a new contract, for example) they'd have to sign another top player. Or, which I see as the more likely scenario, we will end up trading it to someone else, like LA or Toronto or Seattle, who actually will need it to add new players. The league as a whole will benefit with better talent coming in, and if we can pry loose a good player or two for "free" for an asset we are unlikely to use, I suppose it's a good thing. This is kind of like using your IRS refund check to pay off bills that you would have a hard time doing, instead of buying a new flat-screen TV. Not as much fun, but at least it will help you do something you couldn't have done otherwise.
Here is a link to the video http://www.espnfc.us/major-league-s...ellman-explains-mls-targeted-allocation-money
yeah, it can be used two ways (and one of them is to get a star if you can work it). Seattle has Alonso sitting at ~$500k, basically wasting a DP slot. They can easily buy him under the DP rate with the new TAM and spend as much as they want on a 3rd DP, even at the Dempsey level if they want.
Problem is, none of those guys are contributing much right now. Agudelo v2 is a bust, Diego shows signs of life but apart from his world class hit, hasn't don3 much lately. Rowe hasn't contributed either. Any of those guys would be worth trading to get a marquee, MLS-top level, central defender.
My point isn't that these guys are great, but that a player who can step right in to be a starter (or even a star) in this league can be found outside the league without having to give up any player assets. Imagine if we had a top-notch Nguyen or Jones level players as starters and then guys like Agudelo, Rowe or Fagundez would be hungry and would relish the opportunity to play in a USOC game to show Heaps they deserve more time. Or having guys like that available on the bench as tactical subs or to start when someone is injured or suspended, crazy stuff like that. If we sign a player at the top of the roster, someone at the bottom (like that guy "empty slot #2," he hasn't dome a thing all year!) should go, not someone in the upper-mid range.
good lord more money for them to sit on or trade for a crappy player or a for future allocation that they will in turn trade. Or they trade it to move up in the pecking order for first shot at players coming back to the league to which they will pass on
I think this is a brilliant move by the league. The DP signings get a lot of press, but haven't always "moved the needle." This kind of mechanism allows you to pay a Shalrie (in his prime), or a Lee Nguyen contract renegotiation a fair price. These are the kinds of guys who often have the biggest impact on the quality of play. Of course we'll have to wait to see how it works out, especially vis-a-vis the Revs.
It works in two ways. It allows you to pay a guy like Nguyen, Shalrie, Omar Gonzlez, etc. a good contract while still allowing you to spend big money on star DPs. This mechanism will help teams like Seattle, LA, Orlando, NYCFC, etc. more than it will help the Revs.