Figures ... MLS contracts are guaranteed onthe 25th - that's a week from Friday. After that I think we can cut players, but their salaries will still count towards the cap. So if we're going to make a move ... http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/MLS/news...tent_id=5576&vkey=news_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=dcu
I think cut one player and that allows us to add 2 or maybe 3. Our cut list comes from these candidates: --Cerritos. I think he's a candidate b/c of the amount of money he makes but mostly b/c we'll have other bodies at forward. Moreno seems like he's ability to play and put in minutes. Adu benefits from minutes. Quaranta should be back soon. Eskandarian appears to have a chronic issue (from the Olympic off-season play) that he'll just have to play with but can still contribute. Not great (given the previous health records of Quaranta and Moreno) but more depth than any other position on the team. --Petke. He makes good money, doesn't appear to fit the system well and hasn't played well. The catch is--if we cut him we need to add 2 defenders. But that's possible. --Kovalenko. If I remember correctly, he makes the most change of anyone on the short "cut" list. We have more depth at midfield than at any other position. Nowak has publicly said that Dema doesn't play well at outside mid. If one of our signings is a D-mid, than Dema is a very expensive player without a clear role or position on the team. I don't think this is likely b/c Nowak's system is built around midfield and we could see Convey leave soon, he and Stewart do have USMNT commitments and we're fortunate that Carroll has been an iron-man: no realistic expectation would say that you think a player will play every minute of every game in MLS for a season. And with Namoff gimpy, Dema is our sub at D-mid I think. --Rimando. Not likely b/c Warren has impressed enough. But if the staff has confidence in Perkins, than Rimando frees up 100K which is enough for 2 cheap trialists (ie: 40K for one player and 60K for another). Also, I think some of the trialists in camp are there as favors for the agents or teammates and to provide practice fodder--I mean we're missing 9 guys b/c of callups and injuries so the team can't even do small-sided drills (other than GK exercises--got plenty of healthy GKs!). So I doubt Roland Aguilera is being given serious consideration. Unless Convey will be moved soon (in which case he might be brought in as an A-mid type). But in the short-term, I think we're looking at definitely a defender (especially with Nelsen and Namoff gimpy), maybe a D-mid. Frankly though, I'd rather see a finisher over a D-mid.
Also, at this point isn't the salary pro-rated, since 33% of the season has been played, so they can pay a guy the 40k United has under the cap, and say his salary is actually 60k? Or maybe they can try the Hudson trick. "If you come here and play I swear you'll be paid decent money next year. This year, you'll get paid in ramen noodles, but next year....."
I believe that the cap and salaries are pro-rated. I don't know how the contract is written. But if we cut someone making $100K than we wouldn't actually sign someone for $100K. We'd sign them for $50K for the remainder of the season (is my understanding).
or does the pro-rated figure count against the full cap? (let me make up some numbers here) i mean lets say we are $40k under the cap. we sign someone for 1/2 of the season at $40k. IF he was paid a full-season's salary, he would have cost us $80k (but we dont pay him that cuz its pro-rated). which number counts towards the salary cap? the $40k or the $80?