The MLS 101 series will be a "living/breathing document" in that I will continue to edit and update these post to keep up to date with the inevitable changes that MLS will make. I encourage you to bookmark the post so you can use them as a reference going forward.

In this edition of MLS 101, it's time to tie up some lose ends about MLS roster rules, along with player movement and acquisition. I'll discuss the SuperDraft, Supplemental Draft, Trades, the Waiver System and Roster Exceptions for Injuries.

I'll be the first to admit, this isn't the most exciting stuff, but it's still important to understand if you want to get a full grasp of how MLS rules work. I've done my best to make things interesting, but it's a fair to say that sections may still end up sounding like something out of a textbook. Sorry, you can only add so much excitement to what is essentially dull material. I did throw in a joke related to Batman & Robin so that has to count for something right?

With that introduction aside, let us dive in to this lesson in MLS 101. Put your thinking caps and/or tinfoil hats back on and let's see if we can make some more sense out of the complex world of MLS rules and regulations.

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The MLS 101 series will be a "living/breathing document" in that I will continue to edit and update these post to keep up to date with the inevitable changes that MLS will make. I encourage you to bookmark the post so you can use them as a reference going forward.

Yesterday I discussed some of the basic roster rules in MLS and how it ties in with the salary cap. Hopefully the swelling in your brain has reduced sufficiently to allow you to move forward with your lessons as I attempt to help you further understand (to the best of our ability), the league's various roster mechanisms.

This time out, I'm going to discuss the Allocation Rankings/Money, Allocation Lotteries, Designated Players, Discovery Claims and Signings, and Home Grown Players.

No doubt by the time I'm done you'll need a glass of whiskey and a couple pain pills to ease the aching in your brain, but hopefully I'm able to simplify this stuff a bit for you. The goal is of course to allow fans to have a greater understanding on how the MLS system works and act as a reference going forward when various situations arise concerning the Dynamo.

So let's get started!

Feel free to take notes as this could be on the final exam...just kidding...maybe.

Continue reading this post »

The MLS 101 series will be a "living/breathing document" in that I will continue to edit and update these post to keep up to date with the inevitable changes that MLS will make. I encourage you to bookmark the post so you can use them as a reference going forward.

Time to put on your thinking caps, or tinfoil hat if you prefer, and dive into an examination of Major League Soccer's current roster and salary cap rules, and how they apply to the 2012 Dynamo. A few notes before we get started:

1. This is based on the last MLSPA Salary information release from 9/1/11
2. There is some speculation on my part concerning salary levels for new players.
3. I was told there would be no math...they lied.

The Dynamo at this very moment, have 19 players on their active roster. Add to that seven new players that have been drafted over the past week and that brings the roster to 26. The latest MLS roster rules explain that a team can have up to 30 players on their roster, within a somewhat complex set of guidelines (which I'll get to in a minute).

The salary cap for each MLS team in 2011 was $2.675 million. When the new collective bargaining agreement was agreed to in 2010, the salary cap jumped just over 10% from it's previous point. As part of the deal, the cap will increase 5% each season until the deal expires in 2014. In addition, minimum salaries ($42k in 2011) will increase 5% per season as well. This means the 2012 salary cap should be $2,808,750 with minimum salaries set at $44,100.

It's a somewhat loose cap with various ways to work around. That's how the Galaxy and the Red Bulls are able to spend upwards of $15 million on salary, while the Dynamo spend significantly less.

It's not that Houston or other clubs couldn't spend that much, they just chose not to or cannot afford the additional cost. That's the wiggle designed in to the salary cap system in MLS that actually allows for some kind of "free spending" should a team's ownership be willing to foot the bill (while still preventing runaway spending) by utilizing designated players slots and allocation money (see Lesson Two).

The Dynamo run a tight ship and it's been effective for them. The new stadium will help increase revenues for the club, along with the improved shirt sponsorship deal they signed last season. Until AEG unloads their majority share in the club though, I doubt you're going to see the Dynamo spending big money anytime soon, and that's just fine.

Spending doesn't equal trophies and it's not like Houston is financially handicapped, just restrained. If anything it forces Kinnear and Canetti to work smarter and be shrewder with personnel decisions, something they've shown to be very good at.

Alright, on to the finer details.

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