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MLS Player acquisition rules: A primer

Dear Sports Fan,

We are delighted that you have decided to follow Major League Soccer (MLS). As the first division soccer league in the United States and Canada, MLS is subject to jurisdiction from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA). As a single-entity league, where MLS owns all the players and then brings on investors to run individual clubs, it has several internal rules which are unusual to international club football but serve its own purposes for fair allocation of talent between clubs.

If you are not a sports fan but a prospective owner, congratulations on your decision to invest in MLS. Looks like we need to get you some players! Soon there will be an expansion draft, and you will have your pick of players that other teams have chosen to to protect.

Your team will undoubtedly desire other players who are not on your roster. If you wish to add players to your roster, or if you're wondering how your team will add players to their roster, here's a list of the methods available. Remember, all players are signed by MLS:

-If the player you desire is a US national team player who has been playing abroad, or if the player is a former MLS player who was sold to another league for a transfer fee, then that player is signed by MLS and then is made subject to the allocation ranking. Think of it like the waiver wire, but for good players. The allocation order is determined by finish in the prior season and once a team selects a player through the allocation process they drop to the bottom of the order. Therefore, if you're near the bottom and you want one of these players, you're likely going to have to trade to move up the order.

-MLS players can make a maximum of $387,500 under the salary budget structure, but there are players out there who will demand more money. MLS allows for three such players on the roster, with the understanding that anything over that maximum salary will come out of the individual team's pocket. These spots can be used to retain current players or to bring in new players. These players are not subject to the allocation order.

-The SuperDraft is held ever year to bring in new college players. You know what a draft is, every American league has one.

-Those are some ways you can bring in players who are not in MLS into MLS. A player who doesn't have history with the USMNT or MLS can be acquired through a Discovery Signing, of which teams are allowed six per year.

-MLS teams are allowed to trade with each other players, SuperDraft picks, allocation rankings, and international player spots.

This is a good start, though surely soon you will discover the myriad of loopholes and hidden rules that every MLS fan grows to know and be frustrated by. Thank you again for choosing MLS, we look forward to seeing you soon!

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