An attempt to explain MLS's complicated roster rules.

By Robert Wagman
SoccerTimes

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Thursday, March 14, 2002) -- Many Major League soccer fans seem to be confused about the size of team rosters -- how many international players a club can have, who does and does not count against roster limits, what has become of allocated players and a myriad of other questions. So to try to clear up the confusion, these are the current rules as to roster make-up according.

First a note: over its six year history, the one constant of MLS has been that its Competition Committee, which makes up the rules, is willing to find loopholes when it suits it, or change or modify rules at a moments’ notice. But as the league nears the start of its seventh season, at least for today, here are the rules.

Each team can have 18 players on its roster. Or depending on exactly how you count, it can have a 22-player roster. The difference is each team can have 18 players who count against the roster plus four more players on a "development squad."

First let me give it to you exactly as the league does: "With the addition of four developmental roster positions on every team, all MLS clubs will have an expanded roster of 22 players. The contracts of all four members of a team's developmental roster will not count against a team's salary budget. All those players signed to contracts through Nike Project-40 will also be classified as developmental and count within the four-man developmental player limit (until they graduate to the senior roster)."

It’s pretty clear that Project-40 is the designation given to players either signed before they go to college or after one year in college. Officially the league says: "As Nike Project-40 players are developmental players selected by teams through the SuperDraft or, if signed after the SuperDraft, through the lottery system, Nike Project-40 Players do not count against a team's salary budget until graduation from the program. Players signed to Nike Project-40 Contracts receive an educational stipend."

Sort of a gray area are slightly older players, such as those coming out of college early to sign. They are not Project-40, but in some cases (depending on salary level) they fit within into this four-player developmental squad designation.

Again in the direct language of the league: "Players signed to developmental contracts must be 23-years old or younger throughout the calendar year of the season in question. All developmental players will remain eligible for MLS and (United Soccer League) competition during the length of their agreement. The discovery period for developmental players will begin in early March and teams will have unlimited discovery opportunities for Developmental Players."

However, there already is a loophole. "Grandfathered under the new designations until the 2003 season are D.C.'s Jose Alegria and the Burn's Josue Mayard, the only two players who would have qualified for the now-defunct category of "junior internationals" in 2002."

This points up one factor. It does not matter if a player is a starter or the most lowly reserve -- he does not count against the 18 player roster limit if he has a developmental contract. So even if Alegria starts for United, or Mayard for Dallas, they do not count against the roster, against the three international player limit or against the salary cap.

In making the announcement MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis said: "Creating these developmental roster positions will allow the league to expand its developmental player pool and integrate and develop quality players into team squads with more flexibility. These changes create more opportunities for teams to cultivate local talent."

There have been some fundamental changes from previous years in the way players are being classified. Foremost among these is the elimination of the "marquee player" designation and the marquee player replacement rule which held that if a team loses one of its star players that player would be replaced with a player of equal stature.

Another change is the elimination of what essentially has been an injured-reserve list. Previously, teams were allowed to designate three players who could be replaced in the event of a long-term injury on or before June 30. This was done to allow salary cap relief for teams which suffered major injuries such as the Chicago Fire which was able to reacquire Ante Razov last year following Josh Wolff being put on injured reserve.

One team to be immediately be negatively affected by this change is D.C. United which will have to carry midfielder Ben Olsen on its roster and against its the salary cap, even though he will miss at least the first few weeks of the season.

Another change, as already noted, relates to young international players. From now on, young international players will be classified as "developmental players" who will not count against the roster and salary cap, or "transitional internationals" who will count against a team's senior roster and salary budget, but not against the three international player limit. The difference is in the amount they are paid. Teams will be allowed an unlimited number of transitional internationals, subject only to an league-wide limit of 20 such players.

To run through the various player classifications:

Senior Internationals: Any foreign player without a green card, aged 25 years of or older (during the season under consideration). Some international players younger than 25 can be considered senior internationals because of their contract structure.

Transitional Internationals: Any young international player until the beginning of the year in which they are due to reach the age of 25, at which time they will be reclassified as a senior International.

Developmental Players (domestic or international): Each team will have four developmental players on its roster. The contracts for these players will not count against a team's salary budget. In addition to Nike Project-40 signees, a developmental roster can only include players 23 or younger.

Allocated Players: These players are allocated to teams through the league office. Each year, additional allocations are decided upon and made by the league's competition committee, based upon players lost and teams' on-field records in the previous year. Allocated player spots may be traded.

Drafted Players: Players taken in the annual Super Draft include college players, A-League players, Nike Project-40 players and youth internationals, among others. The draft order is based upon the inverse order of the teams' records during the previous year. Drafted players and draft picks may be traded.

Discovery Players: A team may request that the league sign a U.S. or international player who is not under contract to MLS and assign the player to the requesting team. A team may add no more than two senior discovery players by request in any calendar year and have no more than four discovery players on its senior roster at any time. Teams may trade discovery players but may not trade discovery player "spots." Teams may have unlimited discovery opportunities for developmental players.

United Soccer League Call-up Players: MLS teams can call-up USL players on a short-term loan basis. In order to be eligible for a USL call-up, the proposed player must have been on a USL roster as of May 15 of that season and played two games for that USL team.

Senior correspondent Robert Wagman's "It Seems To Me . . . " appears regularly on SoccerTimes. He can be e-mailed at bobwagman@soccertimes.com..