MLS Designated Players 2019: Complete List And Salary Information

The Designated Player Rule, also known as the Beckham Rule, remains in effect as the league enters its 24th season. The rule allows teams to sign up to three players that are considered outside the team’s salary cap ($4.035M in 2018). 

In essence, this allows teams to compete for star players in the international market (like how the LA Galaxy started this whole rigamarole by signing David Beckham to a five-year contract worth $6.5M annually back in 2007). 

Footballers given the Designated Player tag that are over the age of 23 carry a salary budget charge of roughly $481K. DPs between the ages of 21 and 23 count as $200K against the cap, and DPs 20 and younger count as $150K.

If we wanted to, we could now talk about Targeted Allocation Money — the $4 million of spend that the league gives to teams to drop on players that earn more than the maximum budget charge ($481K) but less than $1.5M — but let’s not. 

2019 MLS Designated Players 

All contract numbers taken from the MLSPA 2019-20 Player Salaries Guide.

Atlanta United

Josef Martinez — $3.1M 

Ezequiel Barco — $1.4M  

Pity Martinez — $900K 

Chicago Fire

Bastian Schweinsteiger — $5.6M 

Nemanja Nikolic — $1.9M

Aleksandar Katai — $1.4M 

FC Cincinnati

Fanendo Adi — $2.0M

Allan Cruz – $333K 

Colorado Rapids

Tim Howard — $2.5M 

Columbus Crew

Gyasi Zardes — $2.3M

Pedro Santos — $865K

Milton Valenzuela — $321K

D.C. United

Wayne Rooney — $3.5M

Paul Arriola — $707K

FC Dallas

Bryan Acosta — $650K

Santiago Mosquera — $591K

Pablo Aranguiz — $467K 

Houston Dynamo

Alberth Elis — $650K 

Tomas Martinez — $387K

LA Galaxy

Zlatan Ibrahimovic — $7.2M

Jonathan dos Santos — $2M

Romain Alessandrini — $1.9M  

Los Angeles FC

Carlos Vela — $6.3M

Andre Horta — $1.3M

Diego Rossi — $1.1M 

Minnesota United FC

Darwin Quintero — $1.8M 

Jan Gregus — $667K 

Angelo Rodriguez — $657K 

Montreal Impact

Ignacio Piatti — $4.4M 

Saphir Taider — $1.4M 

New England Revolution

Carles Gil — $2.3M 

New York City FC

Maximiliano Moralez — $2M

Jesus Medina — $871K

Alexandru Mitrita — $500K 

New York Red Bulls

Bradley Wright-Phillips — $1.4M

Kaku — $800K 

Orlando City 

Nani — $2.5M

Dom Dwyer — $1.5M 

Josue Colman — $450K 

Philadelphia Union

Marco Fabian — $2.3M 

Alejandro Bedoya — $1.3M 

Portland Timbers

Diego Valeri – $2.4M 

Sebastian Blanco — $1.4M

Brian Fernandez — $1.3M 

Real Salt Lake

Albert Rusnak — $2M 

Sam Johnson — $719K

Jefferson Savarino — $499K  

San Jose Earthquakes

Vako — $1.6M

Chris Wondolowski – $800K  

Seattle Sounders

Nicolas Lodeiro — $2.5M 

Raul Ruidiaz — $1.8M

Xavier Arreaga — $501K 

Sporting KC

Felipe Gutierrez — $1.7M

Roger Espinoza — $800K 

Yohan Croizet — $730K 

Toronto FC

Michael Bradley — $6.4M 

Jozy Alitdore — $6.3M 

Alejandro Pozuelo — $3.8M

Vancouver Whitecaps

Fredy Montero — $968K

Inbeom Hwang — $655K 

Joaquin Ardaiz — $273K