Damm The Luck: Mexican Winger Reportedly Not Signing With Dynamo

Reports this month have linked Tigres winger Jurgen Damm with a move to MLS. Which team was going to sign him, has remained a mystery. We may now have some answers, answers that include the Dynamo being involved.

According to TUDN, Damm is set to sign with Atlanta United. TUDN originally reported last week that Damm was on his way to MLS and is now confirming his destination.

Some Dynamo fans were originally keen on signing the Mexican winger, but it looks like he is on his way to Georgia instead. But….it looks like Houston will be involved with the signing.

According to Tom Bogert of MLS, and confirmed by Glenn Davis, the Dynamo have the discovery rights to Jurgen Damm.

We all know MLS has some wild roster and transfer rules and that’s what brings us to discovery rights. Discovery players are considered players whom a team may be interested in signing that are not yet under contract with MLS. To obtain the rights to sign one of these players a team must place the player on their discovery list, a process that boils down to filing a claim to the league office. Basically, you’re calling dibs on a player. MLS teams may sign players on another team’s discovery list, however, the team that currently has the player on their list could be given two options. First the team must be given the opportunity to make a genuine offer to the player. Or, the other option under the previous CBA and MLS roster rules, was to be pay the team $50,000 in general allocation money for the opportunity to sign the player. There is a new CBA in place for MLS, so these rules are likely different, albeit with the same construct.

With Atlanta now on the verge of signing Damm they first must acquire his discovery rights from the Dynamo. In the past there have been several trades in MLS involving discovery rights, perhaps most notably when Chicago traded the rights to Didier Drogba to Montreal, allowing the striker to sign with the Impact. What will the Dynamo get from the deal? They’re going to get some form of cash, most likely. With the new CBA, we aren’t exactly sure of all the new roster rules and mechanisms but in all likelihood money, in some amount, will be heading the Dynamo’s way from Atlanta.

So, the Dynamo miss out on a Mexican player, but they get some cash for having the foresight to call dibs on a player. Only in MLS, right? How do you feel about missing out on Damm? Let us know in the comments.