When we read about things like allocation lists, sums of targeted and general allocation money and the processes of discovery and re-entry in MLS, we usually just smile, nod our heads in feigned understanding, and murmur things like “But of course.” In truth, it’s all terribly confusing and best left to the poor sporting directors and player personnel managers who need to assemble an entire roster for $3.845 million.
Thankfully, Sports Illustrated’s Alexander Abnos has come as close as we’ve ever seen to figuring it all out. Abnos, the Leonardo Da Vinci of MLS roster rules, had created a hand-dandy flowchart explaining how MLS teams sign players.
So - if we just take a look here for example - let’s say you’re trying to sign a non-collegiate, but under the age of 18 player, and he wasn’t on the draft-eligible list, but he was accepted as a nomination, and then it’s your clubs turn to pick and they draft him, and then the club are going to try to sign him, and you’re a club based in the United States, and the player is a citizen of another country, and he’s not part of Generation Adidas, and the sum of the player’s 2017 acquisition cost and guaranteed compensation is less than $480,625, AND OH MY GOD MY EYES ARE BLEEDING, MY BRAIN IS OOZING OUT OF MY EARS.
And that’s pretty much how it works. The zoomable version is available here.
Ever wondered what #MLS' player acquisition rules look like in a flowchart? Here you go. (zoomable version here: https://t.co/hgDcLbFU2h) pic.twitter.com/4yTZFUK1PL
— Alexander Abnos (@AnAbnos) February 8, 2017
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