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Designated Player Rule

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The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee for the player). The rule, which was adopted ahead of the 2007 MLS season, enables teams to compete for star players in the international football market. The rule is one of two mechanisms by which MLS teams may exceed their salary cap, the other being allocation money. As of December 2019, there have been 209 Designated Players in league history.

David Beckham was the league's first Designated Player, with the rule being nicknamed the "Beckham Rule".

The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players, after Beckham entered into negotiations to join the league.[1][2] Beckham was the first player signed under this rule, signing a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 with a guaranteed annual salary of $6.5 million.[3][4]

History

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The team salary cap was estimated to be around US$1.9 million in 2006,[5] was $2.1 million in 2007, and was raised to $2.3 million for the 2008 season.[6][7] As part of the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLS and the MLS Players' Union, the 2010 salary cap was $2.55 million, with an automatic five percent increase each year until the expiration of the agreement at the end of the 2014 season.

Under the 2007 rule:

  • The rule expires at the end of the 2009 season, and must be renewed then or allowed to lapse.
  • For each Designated Player, $400,000[7][8] of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league, with any remaining salary being paid by the team's owner. This value was increased for the 2009 season to $415,000.
  • Prior to the 2007 season, there were three players whose salary exceeded $400,000. These players were Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz, and Eddie Johnson. According to the rule, these players were grandfathered in for the 2007 season, and the exemption was extended after the 2007 season, with the league planning to review the issue at a future date. It was possible that the league would be required to renegotiate these players' contracts or consider them Designated Players. However, prior to the start of the 2008 season, Johnson moved to Fulham of the Premier League,[9] while following Dwayne De Rosario's signing by Toronto FC in January 2009, Ruiz was released by the club and left MLS to play for Olimpia Asunción. This left Donovan as the lone player whose 2009 salary remained grandfathered under the exemption provision. However, there were several more players whose guaranteed salary exceeded the Designated Player amount, but whose salary cap expense was actually lower than their true salary due to the allocation rule. These players include Shalrie Joseph ($450,000), Christian Gomez ($430,000), Dwayne De Rosario ($425,750), and Taylor Twellman ($420,000).
  • Each team initially had one Designated Player spot, but could trade their Designated Spot to another team; teams were allowed a maximum of two Designated Players.
  • Only $325,000 of a team's second Designated Player counted against the salary cap, which was increased to $335,000 in 2009.[7]

The 2010 changes:[10]

  • The rule has no expiration date.
  • For each Designated Player, $335,000 of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league ($167,500 for DP players joining during the MLS summer transfer window), with any remaining salary being paid by the team's owner. This amount is halved for Designated Players signed in the middle of the season. The salary cap value of Designated Players can also be reduced using allocation money. Finally, teams whose Designated Players transfer abroad in the middle of a season can recoup part of the Designated Players' salary cap value.
  • Landon Donovan is no longer grandfathered into the rule and must be considered a Designated Player.
  • Each team is allowed two Designated Player spots, and they can no longer trade their Designated Player spots. The New York Red Bulls will receive $70,000 in allocation money in return for the nullification of their 2007 trade with Chivas USA for an additional Designated Player spot. This means that both New York and Chivas USA will have two Designated Player spots for the 2010 season.
  • Teams can pay a $250,000 "luxury tax" for the right to sign a third Designated Player. This $250,000 would be distributed equally to all MLS teams that have not signed a third Designated Player in the form of allocation money.

The 2012 changes:[11]

Starting with the 2012 season, the rule was changed with respect to younger players. MLS announced the changes in August 2011 after clubs expressed concern about signing young international players with no guarantees that they would develop into stars.

  • Designated Players over the age of 23 will carry a salary budget charge of $350,000, unless the player joins his club in the middle of the season, in which case his budget charge will be $175,000.
  • Designated Players 21–23 years old count as $200,000 against the club's salary budget.
  • Designated Players 20 years old or younger count as $150,000 against the club's salary budget.
  • The budget charge for the midseason signing of a young Designated Player (23 years old and younger) is $150,000 and this amount cannot be lowered with allocation funds.
  • Clubs will not have to buy the third DP roster slot to accommodate Designated Players 23 years old and younger.
  • Age of player is determined by year (not date) of birth.

The maximum budget charge for Designated Players over age 23 was increased to $368,750 for 2013, $387,500 in 2014, $436,250 in 2015, $457,500 in 2016, and $480,625 in 2017. The budget charge for those who join during the midseason transfer window has remained at one-half of the full-season cap charge since the inception of the rule. The budget charges for younger players have not changed since 2012.[12]

Background

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The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players of Beckham's caliber.[1][2] Beckham was the first player to be signed under this rule, signing a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth up to $250 million over five years, with direct guaranteed compensation from MLS and Galaxy at $6.5 million a year.[3]

Current Designated Players

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As of November 14, 2024[13]
Year signed
as DP		 Player Nation­ality Current club 2024 guaranteed compensation[14]
2017 Albert Rusnák   Seattle Sounders $2,221,667
2018 Raúl Ruidíaz   Seattle Sounders $2,729,120
2019 Carles Gil   New England Revolution $4,452,083
2020 Hany Mukhtar   Nashville SC $5,211,667
2020 Darlington Nagbe   Columbus Crew $1,540,000
2020 Alan Pulido   Sporting Kansas City $3,600,000
2020 Cristian Espinoza   San Jose Earthquakes $2,002,000
2020 Victor Wanyama   CF Montréal $1,800,000
2021 Luciano Acosta   FC Cincinnati $4,216,413
2021 Kévin Cabral   Colorado Rapids $1,950,000
2021 Sebastián Driussi   Austin FC $6,722,500
2021 Ryan Gauld   Vancouver Whitecaps $2,985,000
2022 Alexander Ring   Austin FC $1,665,000
2022 Sebastián Ferreira   Houston Dynamo $2,290,200
2022 Jesús Ferreira   FC Dallas $2,204,000
2022 Facundo Torres   Orlando City $1,812,400
2022 Karol Świderski   Charlotte FC $2,258,000
2022 Mikael Uhre   Philadelphia Union $2,040,000
2022 Alan Velasco   FC Dallas $1,451,000
2022 Thiago Martins   New York City FC $2,462,000
2022 Obinna Nwobodo   FC Cincinnati $1,289,400
2022 Andrés Cubas   Vancouver Whitecaps $1,146,375
2022 Walker Zimmerman   Nashville SC $3,456,979
2022 Cucho Hernández   Columbus Crew $2,886,000
2022 Lorenzo Insigne   Toronto FC $15,400,000
2022 Giacomo Vrioni   New England Revolution $1,947,500
2022 Federico Bernardeschi   Toronto FC $6,295,381
2022 Christian Benteke   D.C. United $4,432,778
2022 Denis Bouanga   Los Angeles FC $3,609,500
2023 João Klauss   St. Louis City SC $1,370,284
2023 Eduard Löwen   St. Louis City SC $1,344,250
2023 Evander   Portland Timbers $2,355,000
2023 Dániel Gazdag   Philadelphia Union $1,757,500
2023 Martín Ojeda   Orlando City $972,600
2023 Mateusz Klich   D.C. United $2,093,588
2023 Leonardo Campana   Inter Miami $722,333
2023 Carlos Gruezo   San Jose Earthquakes $1,681,086
2023 Dante Vanzeir   New York Red Bulls $1,489,767
2023 Riqui Puig   LA Galaxy $2,449,996
2023 Santiago Rodríguez   New York City FC $1,331,333
2023 Cristian Arango   Real Salt Lake $2,088,746
2023 Teemu Pukki   Minnesota United $3,550,000
2023 Rafael Navarro   Colorado Rapids $1,427,708
2023 Lionel Messi   Inter Miami $20,446,667
2023 Sergio Busquets   Inter Miami $8,774,996
2023 Sam Surridge   Nashville SC $2,907,639
2023 Diego Rossi   Columbus Crew $3,376,827
2024 Tomás Chancalay   New England Revolution $1,010,000
2024 Emil Forsberg   New York Red Bulls $6,035,625
2024 Djordje Mihailovic   Colorado Rapids $1,675,000
2024 Pedro de la Vega   Seattle Sounders $1,164,000
2024 Gabriel Pec   LA Galaxy $2,459,000
2024 Petar Musa   FC Dallas $2,230,000
2024 Hugo Cuypers   Chicago Fire $3,528,044
2024 Luis Muriel   Orlando City $4,336,150
2024 Joseph Paintsil   LA Galaxy $3,358,000
2024 Stian Rode Gregersen   Atlanta United $1,120,000
2024 Richie Laryea   Toronto FC $1,208,188
2024 Liel Abada   Charlotte FC $2,448,500
2024 Jonathan Rodríguez   Portland Timbers $2,627,500
2024 Hernán López   San Jose Earthquakes $1,020,000
2024 Eduard Atuesta   Los Angeles FC $689,700
2024 Ezequiel Ponce   Houston Dynamo $2,822,200
2024 Olivier Giroud   Los Angeles FC $3,675,000
2024 Osman Bukari   Austin FC $1,000,000
2024 Marcel Hartel   St. Louis City SC $2,183,113
2024 Kelvin Yeboah   Minnesota United $1,427,200
2024 Aleksei Miranchuk   Atlanta United $3,685,441
2024 Diogo Gonçalves   Real Salt Lake $1,797,108
2024 Felipe Carballo   New York Red Bulls $1,169,777
2024 Joaquín Pereyra   Minnesota United $699,800
2024 Pep Biel   Charlotte FC $2,214,147
2024 Stuart Armstrong   Vancouver Whitecaps FC $2,877,774
2025 Hirving Lozano   San Diego FC $n/a

Notes

  • Chart indicates when players signed their current Designated Player contract, not necessarily their first year in MLS.
  • Other players in MLS may also be paid a salary that takes them above the Designated Player threshold, but they have had their salary reduced against the salary cap using General or Targeted Allocation Money.[15]
  • Player salaries may be below the Designated Player threshold, but their transfer fee might mean the total compensation takes them above the threshold.
  • Player salaries include compensation from their MLS contract, not including any bonuses or compensation from contracts with individual teams or their affiliates.

Club DP history

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As of May 14, 2024[16]

Notes

  • The below list indicates players who have had their contract assigned as a Designated Player (DP) contract during their time in MLS. Players may have not always have had a DP contract, or have later had their contract negotiated below a DP level. Similarly, some players have been in MLS whose salary has been at a DP level, but the club has opted to bring their salary below the DP threshold using General Allocation Money or Targeted Allocation Money. Their listed "Years as DP" indicates what seasons they were active as a DP for that club only. Players in bold are currently signed to a DP contract by their club.
  • Former MLS sides Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny were dissolved before the introduction of the Designated Player Rule.

Atlanta United FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Héctor Villalba   San Lorenzo 2017
  Miguel Almirón   Lanús 2017–2018
  Josef Martínez   Torino 2017–2022
  Esequiel Barco   Independiente 2018–2021
  Pity Martínez   River Plate 2019–2020
  Marcelino Moreno   Lanús 2020
  Alan Franco   Independiente 2021
  Luiz Araújo   Lille 2021–2023
  Thiago Almada   Vélez Sarsfield 2022–2024
  Giorgos Giakoumakis   Celtic 2023–2024
  Saba Lobzhanidze   Hatayspor 2023
  Stian Rode Gregersen   Bordeaux 2024–
  Aleksei Miranchuk   Atalanta 2024–

Austin FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Cecilio Domínguez   Independiente 2021–2022
  Tomás Pochettino   Talleres 2021
  Sebastián Driussi   Zenit Saint Petersburg 2021–
  Alexander Ring   New York City FC 2022–2024[17]
  Emiliano Rigoni   São Paulo 2022–2024
  Osman Bukari   Red Star Belgrade 2024–

Charlotte FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Jordy Alcívar   L.D.U. Quito 2022
  Karol Świderski   PAOK 2022–2023, 2024–
  Kamil Jóźwiak   Derby County 2022–2023
  Enzo Copetti   Racing Club 2023–2024
  Liel Abada   Celtic 2024–
  Pep Biel   Olympiacos 2024–

Chicago Fire FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Cuauhtémoc Blanco   América 2007–2009
  Freddie Ljungberg   Seattle Sounders 2010
  Nery Castillo   Shakhtar Donetsk 2010
  Álvaro Fernández   Seattle Sounders 2012–2013
  Sherjill MacDonald   Germinal Beerschot 2012–2013
  Federico Puppo   Danubio 2012–2014
  Egidio Arévalo Ríos   Tijuana 2013
  Juan Luis Anangonó   El Nacional 2013–2014
  Gilberto   Toronto FC 2015–2016
  David Accam   Helsingborg 2015–2017
  Shaun Maloney   Wigan Athletic 2015
  Kennedy Igboananike   AIK 2015–2016
  Nemanja Nikolić   Legia Warsaw 2017–2019
  Bastian Schweinsteiger   Manchester United 2017–2019
  Aleksandar Katai   Alavés 2019
  Robert Berić   Saint-Étienne 2020–2021
  Ignacio Aliseda   Defensa y Justicia 2020–2021
  Gastón Giménez   Vélez Sarsfield 2020–2022, 2024-
  Xherdan Shaqiri   Lyon 2022–2024
  Jairo Torres   Atlas 2022–2023
  Ousmane Doumbia   Lugano 2023
  Hugo Cuypers   Gent 2024–

Chivas USA (defunct)

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Juan Pablo Ángel   LA Galaxy 2011–2012
  Oswaldo Minda   Deportivo Quito 2012–2014
  Shalrie Joseph   New England Revolution 2012
  Erick Torres   Guadalajara 2013–2014
  Mauro Rosales   Seattle Sounders 2014

FC Cincinnati

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Fanendo Adi   Portland Timbers 2019
  Allan Cruz   Herediano 2019–2020
  Yuya Kubo   Gent 2020, 2021–2022
  Jürgen Locadia   Brighton & Hove Albion 2020–2021
  Brenner   São Paulo 2021–2023
  Luciano Acosta   Atlas 2021–
  Obinna Nwobodo   Göztepe 2022–
  Aaron Boupendza   Al-Shabab 2023–2024

Colorado Rapids

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Gabriel Torres   Zamora 2013–2015
  Juan Edgardo Ramírez   Argentinos Juniors 2015–2017
  Kevin Doyle   Wolverhampton Wanderers 2015–2016
  Shkëlzen Gashi   Basel 2016–2018
  Tim Howard   Everton 2016–2019
  Younes Namli   Krasnodar 2020–2021
  Gyasi Zardes   Columbus Crew 2022
  Kévin Cabral   LA Galaxy 2023–
  Andreas Maxsø   Brøndby 2023
  Rafael Navarro   Palmeiras 2023–
  Djordje Mihailovic   AZ 2023–

Columbus Crew

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Guillermo Barros Schelotto   Boca Juniors 2009–2010
  Andrés Mendoza   Diyarbakırspor 2010–2011
  Federico Higuaín   Colón 2012–2019
  Kei Kamara   Middlesbrough 2016
  Jonathan Mensah   Anzhi Makhachkala 2017
  Pedro Santos   Braga 2017–2019
  Gyasi Zardes   LA Galaxy 2019–2022
  Darlington Nagbe   Atlanta United 2020–
  Lucas Zelarayán   Tigres UANL 2020–2023
  Cucho Hernández   Watford 2022–
  Diego Rossi   Fenerbahçe 2023–

FC Dallas

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Denílson   Al-Nassr 2007
  David Ferreira   Atlético Paranaense 2009–2013
  Fabián Castillo   Deportivo Cali 2011–2015
  Julian de Guzman   Toronto FC 2012
  Eric Hassli   Toronto FC 2013
  Mauro Díaz   River Plate 2013–2016
  Andrés Ramiro Escobar   Dynamo Kyiv 2014
  David Texeira   Groningen 2014–2015
  Carlos Gruezo   VfB Stuttgart 2016–2018
  Aníbal Chalá   El Nacional 2017
  Cristian Colmán   Nacional Asunción 2017–2018
  Santiago Mosquera   Millonarios 2018–2020
  Bryan Acosta   Tenerife 2019–2021
  Pablo Aránguiz   Unión Española 2019
  Franco Jara   Pachuca 2020–2022
  Jesús Ferreira   FC Dallas Academy 2022–
  Alan Velasco   Independiente 2022–
  Petar Musa   Benfica 2024–

D.C. United

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Luciano Emílio   Olimpia 2008–2009
  Marcelo Gallardo   Paris Saint-Germain 2008
  Branko Bošković   Rapid Wien 2010–2012
  Dwayne De Rosario   New York Red Bulls 2011–2013
  Hamdi Salihi   Rapid Wien 2012
  Rafael Gladiador   Bahia 2013
  Eddie Johnson   Seattle Sounders 2014–2015
  Fabián Espíndola   New York Red Bulls 2015–2016
  Paul Arriola   Tijuana 2017–2021
  Wayne Rooney   Everton 2018–2019
  Lucas Rodríguez   Estudiantes 2019
  Edison Flores   Morelia 2020–2022
  Taxiarchis Fountas   Rapid Wien 2022–2023
  Victor Pálsson   Schalke 04 2022
  Christian Benteke   Crystal Palace 2022–
  Mateusz Klich   Leeds United 2023–
  Matti Peltola   HJK 2024–

Houston Dynamo FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Luis Ángel Landín   Morelia 2009–2010
  Boniek García   Olimpia 2012–2014
  Giles Barnes   Doncaster Rovers 2012–2016
  Alexander López   Olimpia 2013–2014
  DaMarcus Beasley   Puebla 2014–2016
  Mauro Manotas   Uniautónoma 2015–2016, 2020
  Erick Torres   Guadalajara 2015–2017
  Alberth Elis   Monterrey 2017–2020
  Tomás Martínez   Braga 2017–2019
  Darwin Quintero   Minnesota United 2020–2021
  Teenage Hadebe   Yeni Malatyaspor 2021–2023
  Sebastián Ferreira   Libertad 2022–
  Héctor Herrera   Atlético Madrid 2022–2024
  Ezequiel Ponce   AEK Athens 2024–

Inter Miami CF

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Matías Pellegrini   Estudiantes 2020
  Rodolfo Pizarro   Monterrey 2020–2023
  Gonzalo Higuaín   Juventus 2020–2022
  Blaise Matuidi   Juventus 2021
  Gregore   Bahia 2021–2023
  Alejandro Pozuelo   Toronto FC 2022
  Leonardo Campana   Wolverhampton Wanderers 2023–
  Lionel Messi   Paris Saint-Germain 2023–
  Sergio Busquets   Barcelona 2023–

Sporting Kansas City

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Claudio López   Racing Club 2008
  Omar Bravo   Guadalajara 2011
  Jéferson   Vasco da Gama 2011
  Claudio Bieler   L.D.U. Quito 2013–2014
  Matt Besler   University of Notre Dame 2014–2016
  Graham Zusi   University of Maryland 2014–2017
  Roger Espinoza   Wigan Athletic 2015–2018
  Diego Rubio   Valladolid 2016
  Gerso Fernandes   Belenenses 2017
  Yohan Croizet   Mechelen 2018–2019
  Felipe Gutiérrez   Real Betis 2018–2020
  Johnny Russell   Derby County 2019–2024
  Alan Pulido   Guadalajara 2020–
  Gadi Kinda   Beitar Jerusalem 2021–2023

LA Galaxy

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  David Beckham   Real Madrid 2007–2012
  Landon Donovan   Bayer Leverkusen 2010–2014
  Juan Pablo Ángel   New York Red Bulls 2011
  Robbie Keane   Tottenham Hotspur 2011–2016
  Omar Gonzalez   University of Maryland 2013–2015
  Steven Gerrard   Liverpool 2015–2016
  Giovani dos Santos   Villarreal 2015–2018
  Jelle Van Damme   Standard Liège 2016–2017[18]
  Romain Alessandrini   Marseille 2017–2019
  Jonathan dos Santos   Villarreal 2017–2021
  Zlatan Ibrahimović   Manchester United 2019
  Cristian Pavón   Boca Juniors 2020
  Javier Hernández   Sevilla 2020–2023
  Kévin Cabral   Valenciennes 2021–2022
  Douglas Costa   Juventus 2022–2023
  Riqui Puig   Barcelona 2023–
  Gabriel Pec   Vasco da Gama 2024–
  Joseph Paintsil   Genk 2024–

Los Angeles FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Carlos Vela   Real Sociedad 2018–2023
  Diego Rossi   Peñarol 2018–2021
  André Horta   Benfica 2018–2019
  Brian Rodríguez   Peñarol 2019–2021
  Denis Bouanga   Saint-Étienne 2022–
  Eduard Atuesta   Palmeiras 2024
  Olivier Giroud   AC Milan 2024–

Minnesota United FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Darwin Quintero   América 2018–2019
  Ángelo Rodríguez   Deportes Tolima 2018–2019
  Ján Greguš   Copenhagen 2019–2021
  Thomás Chacón   Danubio 2019–2020
  Emanuel Reynoso   Boca Juniors 2020–2024
  Adrien Hunou   Rennes 2021–2022
  Luis Amarilla   Vélez Sarsfield 2022–2023
  Ménder García   Once Caldas 2022–2023
  Teemu Pukki   Norwich City 2023–
  Kelvin Yeboah   Genoa 2024–
  Joaquín Pereyra   Atlético Tucumán 2024–

CF Montréal

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Marco Di Vaio   Bologna 2012–2014
  Hernán Bernardello   Almería 2013–2014
  Ignacio Piatti   San Lorenzo 2014–2019
  Didier Drogba   Chelsea 2015–2016
  Lucas Ontivero   Galatasaray 2016
  Blerim Džemaili   Bologna 2017
  Saphir Taïder   Bologna 2018–2020
  Victor Wanyama   Tottenham Hotspur 2020–
  Aljaž Struna   Houston Dynamo 2021
  Djordje Mihailovic   Chicago Fire 2021

Nashville SC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Hany Mukhtar[19]   Brøndby 2020–
  Randall Leal   Saprissa 2020–2021
  Jhonder Cádiz   Benfica 2020–2021
  Aké Arnaud Loba   Monterrey 2021–2023
  Walker Zimmerman   Los Angeles FC 2022–
  Sam Surridge   Nottingham Forest 2023–

New England Revolution

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Milton Caraglio   Rosario Central 2011
  Shalrie Joseph   New York Freedom 2012
  Jerry Bengtson   Motagua 2012–2014
  Jermaine Jones   Beşiktaş 2014–2015
  José Gonçalves   Sion 2016
  Xavier Kouassi   Sion 2016–2017
  Kei Kamara   Columbus Crew 2016–2017
  Claude Dielna   Sheffield Wednesday 2018
  Carles Gil   Deportivo La Coruña 2019–
  Gustavo Bou   Tijuana 2019–2023
  Adam Buksa   Pogoń Szczecin 2020–2022
  Giacomo Vrioni   Juventus 2022–
  Tomás Chancalay   Racing Club 2024–

New York City FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  David Villa   Atlético Madrid 2014–2018
  Frank Lampard   Manchester City 2015–2016
  Andrea Pirlo   Juventus 2015–2017
  Maximiliano Moralez   León 2017–2021
  Jesús Medina   Libertad 2018–2021
  Alexandru Mitriță   Universitatea Craiova 2019–2020
  Talles Magno   Vasco da Gama 2021–2024
  Thiago Martins   Yokohama F. Marinos 2022–
  Santiago Rodríguez   Montevideo City Torque 2023–

New York Red Bulls

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Claudio Reyna   Manchester City 2007–2008
  Juan Pablo Ángel   Aston Villa 2007–2010
  Thierry Henry   Barcelona 2010–2014
  Rafael Márquez   Barcelona 2010–2012
  Frank Rost   Hamburger SV 2011
  Tim Cahill   Everton 2012–2014
  Bradley Wright-Phillips   Charlton Athletic 2015–2016, 2017–2019
  Gonzalo Verón   San Lorenzo 2015–2017
  Sacha Kljestan   Anderlecht 2016–2017
  Omer Damari   RB Leipzig 2016
  Kaku   Huracán 2018–2021
  Josh Sims   Southampton 2019–2020
  Dru Yearwood   Brentford 2020–2021
  Patryk Klimala   Celtic 2021–2022
  Luquinhas   Legia Warsaw 2022–2023
  Dante Vanzeir   Union SG 2023–
  Emil Forsberg   RB Leipzig 2024–
  Felipe Carballo   Grêmio 2024–

Orlando City SC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Kaká   Milan 2014–2017
  Carlos Rivas   Deportivo Cali 2015–2017
  Bryan Róchez   Real España 2015–2016
  Matías Pérez García   San Jose Earthquakes 2016–2017
  Giles Barnes   Vancouver Whitecaps 2017
  Yoshimar Yotún   Malmö FF 2017
  Dom Dwyer   Sporting Kansas City 2018–2020
  Sacha Kljestan   New York Red Bulls 2018
  Josué Colmán   Cerro Porteño 2018–2019
  Nani   Sporting CP 2019–2021
  Mauricio Pereyra   Krasnodar 2019–2022
  Facundo Torres   Peñarol 2022–
  Ercan Kara   Rapid Wien 2022–2023
  Martín Ojeda   Godoy Cruz 2023–
  Luis Muriel   Atalanta 2024–

Philadelphia Union

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Freddy Adu   Benfica 2011–2012
  José Kléberson   Bahia 2013
  Cristian Maidana   Rangers de Talca 2014–2015
  Maurice Edu   Stoke City 2014–2017
  Fernando Aristeguieta   Nantes 2015
  Alejandro Bedoya   Nantes 2016–2019
  Bořek Dočkal   Henan Jianye 2018
  Marco Fabián   Eintracht Frankfurt 2019
  Jamiro Monteiro   Metz 2020–2021
  Julián Carranza   Inter Miami 2022–2024
  Mikael Uhre   Brøndby 2022–
  Dániel Gazdag   Budapest Honvéd 2023–

Portland Timbers

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Diego Chará   Deportes Tolima 2011–2013
  Kris Boyd   Eskişehirspor 2012
  Diego Valeri   Lanús 2013–2019
  Fanendo Adi   Copenhagen 2014–2015, 2016–2018
  Liam Ridgewell   West Bromwich Albion 2014–2016
  Lucas Melano   Lanús 2015–2016, 2019
  Sebastián Blanco   San Lorenzo 2017–2023
  Brian Fernández   Necaxa 2019
  Yimmi Chará   Atlético Mineiro 2020–2023
  Jarosław Niezgoda   Legia Warsaw 2020–2023
  Evander   Midtjylland 2023–
  Jonathan Rodríguez   América 2024–

Real Salt Lake

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Álvaro Saborío   Sion 2011–2015
  Javier Morales   Vecindario 2011–2015
  Kyle Beckerman   Colorado Rapids 2015
  Joao Plata   Toronto FC 2015–2016
  Sebastián Jaime   Unión Española 2014–2015
  Juan Manuel Martínez   Boca Juniors 2015–2016
  Yura Movsisyan   Spartak Moscow 2016–2017
  Albert Rusnák   Groningen 2017–2021
  Jefferson Savarino   Zulia
  Atlético Mineiro 		2017–2019
2022–2023
  Sam Johnson   Vålerenga 2019–2020
  Jeizon Ramírez   Deportivo Táchira 2020–2021
  Damir Kreilach   Union Berlin 2020–2023
  Cristian Arango   Pachuca 2023–
  Diogo Gonçalves   Copenhagen 2024–

St. Louis City SC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  João Klauss   TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2023–
  Eduard Löwen   Hertha BSC 2023–
  Marcel Hartel   FC St. Pauli 2024–

San Diego FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Hirving Lozano   PSV Eindhoven 2025–

San Jose Earthquakes

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Geovanni   Hull City 2010
  Chris Wondolowski   Houston Dynamo 2013–2019
  Matías Pérez García   Tigre 2014–2016
  Innocent Emeghara   Qarabağ 2015–2016
  Simon Dawkins   Derby County 2016–2017
  Valeri Qazaishvili   Vitesse 2017–2020
  Magnus Eriksson   Djurgårdens IF 2018
  Cristian Espinoza   Villarreal 2020–
  Javier Eduardo López   Guadalajara 2021–2022
  Jamiro Monteiro   Philadelphia Union 2022–2023
  Carlos Gruezo   FC Augsburg 2023–
  Hernán López   Godoy Cruz 2024–

Seattle Sounders FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Freddie Ljungberg   West Ham United 2009–2010
  Álvaro Fernández   Nacional 2010–2012
  Blaise Nkufo   Twente 2010
  Fredy Montero   Deportivo Cali 2011-2012
  Mauro Rosales   River Plate 2011–2013
  Christian Tiffert   Kaiserslautern 2012–2013
  Shalrie Joseph   Chivas USA 2013
  Obafemi Martins   Levante 2013–2015
  Clint Dempsey   Tottenham Hotspur 2013–2018
  Osvaldo Alonso   Charleston Battery 2014–2018
  Nelson Valdez   Eintracht Frankfurt 2015–2016
  Nicolás Lodeiro   Boca Juniors 2016–2023
  Raúl Ruidíaz   Morelia 2018–
  Víctor Rodríguez   Sporting Gijón 2019
  Xavier Arreaga   Barcelona S.C. 2019
  João Paulo   Botafogo 2020–2021
  Albert Rusnák   Real Salt Lake 2022–
  Pedro de la Vega   Lanús 2024–

Toronto FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Julian de Guzman   Deportivo La Coruña 2009–2012
  Mista   Deportivo La Coruña 2010
  Danny Koevermans   PSV Eindhoven 2011–2013
  Torsten Frings   Werder Bremen 2011–2012
  Eric Hassli   Vancouver Whitecaps 2012
  Matías Laba   Argentinos Juniors 2013
  Gilberto   Internacional 2014
  Michael Bradley   Roma 2014–2019
  Jermain Defoe   Tottenham Hotspur 2014–2015
  Sebastian Giovinco   Juventus 2015–2018
  Jozy Altidore   Sunderland 2015–2021
  Alejandro Pozuelo   Genk 2019–2022
  Pablo Piatti   Espanyol 2020
  Yeferson Soteldo   Santos 2021
  Carlos Salcedo   Tigres UANL 2022
  Lorenzo Insigne   Napoli 2022–
  Federico Bernardeschi   Juventus 2022–
  Jonathan Osorio   SC Toronto 2023–2024
  Richie Laryea   Nottingham Forest 2024–

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
  Eric Hassli   Zürich 2011–2012
  Mustapha Jarju   Mons 2011
  Barry Robson   Middlesbrough 2012
  Kenny Miller   Cardiff City 2012–2014
  Matías Laba   Toronto FC 2014–2017
  Mauro Rosales   Chivas USA 2014
  Pedro Morales   Málaga 2014–2016
  Octavio Rivero   O'Higgins 2015–2016
  Fredy Montero   Tianjin TEDA
  Sporting CP 		2017
2019
  Brek Shea   Orlando City 2017–2018
  Kendall Waston   Saprissa 2018
  Hwang In-beom   Daejeon Citizen 2019–2020
  Joaquín Ardaiz   Chiasso 2019
  Ali Adnan Kadhim   Udinese 2019–2021
  Lucas Cavallini   Puebla 2020–2022
  Ryan Gauld   Farense 2021–
  Andrés Cubas   Nîmes 2022–
  Sergio Córdova   FC Augsburg 2023
  Stuart Armstrong   Southampton 2024–

Past and present Designated Players by country

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Number Country Players
56   Argentina Luciano Acosta, Ignacio Aliseda, Thiago Almada, Esequiel Barco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Hernán Bernardello, Claudio Bieler, Sebastián Blanco, Gustavo Bou, Milton Caraglio, Julián Carranza, Tomás Chancalay, Enzo Copetti, Pedro de la Vega, Mauro Díaz, Sebastián Driussi, Fabián Espíndola, Cristian Espinoza, Brian Fernández, Alan Franco, Marcelo Gallardo, Federico Higuaín, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sebastián Jaime, Franco Jara, Matías Laba, Claudio López, Hernán López, Cristian Maidana, Juan Manuel Martínez, Pity Martínez, Tomás Martínez, Lucas Melano, Lionel Messi, Javier Morales, Maximiliano Moralez, Marcelino Moreno, Martín Ojeda, Lucas Ontivero, Cristian Pavón, Matías Pellegrini, Joaquín Pereyra, Matías Pérez García, Ignacio Piatti, Pablo Piatti, Tomás Pochettino, Ezequiel Ponce, Juan Edgardo Ramírez, Emanuel Reynoso, Emiliano Rigoni, Lucas Rodríguez, Mauro Rosales, Diego Valeri, Gonzalo Verón, Milton Valenzuela, Alan Velasco
25   United States Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Dom Dwyer, Maurice Edu, Jesús Ferreira, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Howard, Eddie Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Djordje Mihailovic, Darlington Nagbe, Claudio Reyna, Brek Shea, Chris Wondolowski, Gyasi Zardes, Walker Zimmerman, Graham Zusi
19   Brazil Luiz Araújo, Brenner, Douglas Costa, Denílson, Luciano Emílio, Evander, Geovanni, Gilberto, Rafael Gladiador, Jéferson, Kaká, João Klauss, José Kléberson, Luquinhas, Talles Magno, Thiago Martins, Rafael Navarro, João Paulo, Gabriel Pec
18   Mexico Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, Nery Castillo, Marco Fabián, Javier Hernández, Héctor Herrera, Luis Ángel Landín, Javier Eduardo López, Hirving Lozano, Rafael Márquez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Alan Pulido, Carlos Salcedo, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos, Erick Torres, Jairo Torres, Carlos Vela
16   Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel, Cristian Arango, Eduard Atuesta, Fabián Castillo, Diego Chará, Yimmi Chará, Andrés Ramiro Escobar, David Ferreira, Ménder García, Cucho Hernández, Mauro Manotas, Fredy Montero, Santiago Mosquera, Luis Muriel, Darwin Quintero, Ángelo Rodríguez
15   Uruguay Joaquín Ardaiz, Felipe Carballo, Thomás Chacón, Álvaro Fernández, Nicolás Lodeiro, Mauricio Pereyra, Federico Puppo, Egidio Arévalo Rios, Octavio Rivero, Brian Rodríguez, Jonathan Rodríguez, Santiago Rodríguez, Diego Rossi, David Texeira, Facundo Torres
12   Paraguay Miguel Almirón, Luis Amarilla, Cristian Colmán, Josué Colmán, Andrés Cubas, Cecilio Domínguez, Sebastián Ferreira, Gastón Giménez, Kaku, Jesús Medina, Nelson Valdez, Héctor Villalba
10   England David Beckham, Jermain Defoe, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Liam Ridgewell, Wayne Rooney, Josh Sims, Sam Surridge, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dru Yearwood
9   France Romain Alessandrini, Kévin Cabral, Yohan Croizet, Claude Dielna, Olivier Giroud, Eric Hassli, Thierry Henry, Adrien Hunou, Blaise Matuidi
8   Ecuador Jordy Alcívar, Juan Luis Anangonó, Xavier Arreaga, Leonardo Campana, Aníbal Chalá, Carlos Gruezo, Oswaldo Minda, Joao Plata
8   Spain Pep Biel, Sergio Busquets, Carles Gil, Mista, Alejandro Pozuelo, Riqui Puig, Víctor Rodríguez, David Villa
7   Germany Torsten Frings, Marcel Hartel, Eduard Löwen, Hany Mukhtar, Frank Rost, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Christian Tiffert
7   Honduras Bryan Acosta, Jerry Bengtson, Alberth Elis, Roger Espinoza, Boniek García, Alexander López, Bryan Róchez
7   Scotland Stuart Armstrong, Kris Boyd, Ryan Gauld, Shaun Maloney, Kenny Miller, Barry Robson, Johnny Russell
7   Venezuela Fernando Aristeguieta, Jhonder Cádiz, Sergio Córdova, Josef Martínez, Jeizon Ramírez, Jefferson Savarino, Yeferson Soteldo
6   Italy Federico Bernardeschi, Marco Di Vaio, Sebastian Giovinco, Lorenzo Insigne, Andrea Pirlo, Kelvin Yeboah
6   Poland Adam Buksa, Kamil Jóźwiak, Mateusz Klich, Patryk Klimala, Jarosław Niezgoda, Karol Świderski
5   Canada Lucas Cavallini, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio
5   Costa Rica Allan Cruz, Luis Díaz, Randall Leal, Álvaro Saborío, Kendall Waston
5   Portugal Diogo Gonçalves, José Gonçalves, André Horta, Nani, Pedro Santos
4   Belgium Christian Benteke, Hugo Cuypers, Jelle Van Damme, Dante Vanzeir
4   Chile Pablo Aránguiz, Felipe Gutiérrez, Pedro Morales, Diego Rubio
4   Ghana David Accam, Osman Bukari, Jonathan Mensah, Joseph Paintsil
4   Ivory Coast Ousmane Doumbia, Didier Drogba, Xavier Kouassi, Aké Arnaud Loba
4   Nigeria Fanendo Adi, Kennedy Igboananike, Obafemi Martins, Obinna Nwobodo
4   Peru Edison Flores, Andrés Mendoza, Raúl Ruidíaz, Yoshimar Yotún
4   Sweden Magnus Eriksson, Emil Forsberg, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Freddie Ljungberg
4   Switzerland Blerim Džemaili, Innocent Emeghara, Blaise Nkufo, Xherdan Shaqiri
3   Albania Shkëlzen Gashi, Hamdi Salihi, Giacomo Vrioni
3   Denmark Andreas Maxsø, Younes Namli, Mikael Uhre
3   Finland Matti Peltola, Teemu Pukki, Alexander Ring
3   Israel Liel Abada, Omer Damari, Gadi Kinda
3   Netherlands Danny Koevermans, Jürgen Locadia, Sherjill MacDonald
2   Armenia Yura Movsisyan, Lucas Zelarayán
2   Croatia Damir Kreilach, Petar Musa
2   Gabon Denis Bouanga, Aaron Boupendza
2   Georgia Saba Lobzhanidze, Valeri Qazaishvili
2   Greece Taxiarchis Fountas, Giorgos Giakoumakis
2   Hungary Dániel Gazdag, Nemanja Nikolić
2   Ireland Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane
2   Jamaica Giles Barnes, Simon Dawkins
2   Slovakia Ján Greguš, Albert Rusnák
2   Slovenia Robert Berić, Aljaž Struna
1   Algeria Saphir Taïder
1   Australia Tim Cahill
1   Austria Ercan Kara
1   Cape Verde Jamiro Monteiro
1   Cuba Osvaldo Alonso
1   Czech Republic Bořek Dočkal
1   Gambia Mustapha Jarju
1   Grenada Shalrie Joseph
1   Guinea-Bissau Gerso Fernandes
1   Iceland Victor Pálsson
1   Iraq Ali Adnan Kadhim
1   Japan Yuya Kubo
1   Kenya Victor Wanyama
1   Liberia Sam Johnson
1   Montenegro Branko Bošković
1   Norway Stian Rode Gregersen
1   Panama Gabriel Torres
1   Romania Alexandru Mitriță
1   Russia Aleksei Miranchuk
1   Serbia Aleksandar Katai
1   Sierra Leone Kei Kamara
1   South Korea Hwang In-beom
1   Zimbabwe Teenage Hadebe

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Wahl, Grant (November 28, 2011). "Hollywood Ending: If this was indeed David Beckham's final game in MLS, he went out in style, carrying the Galaxy to a championship and affirming the value of star power in America". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2011. In the first four seasons of MLS's Beckham Rule, which allowed clubs to sign up to three designated players outside the salary cap, ....
  2. ^ a b Lansley, Pete (April 13, 2007). "Becks could be the next American idol". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "PlayersUnion". Mlsplayers.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  4. ^ "Beckham hopes to make US history". BBC. January 12, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  5. ^ Goff, Steven (April 26, 2006). "Palencia Has Richest MLS Salary". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  6. ^ Mickle, Tripp (November 26, 2007). "Debate highlights MLS salary cap split". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c Bell, Jack (March 18, 2009). "In M.L.S., Designated Players Do Not Guarantee Great Expectations". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  8. ^ "Galaxy, Milan, Inter wait on Becks". CNN. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  9. ^ "Fulham complete Johnson signing". BBC Sport. January 23, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
  10. ^ Mayers, Joshua (April 1, 2010). "Major League Soccer adds second DP slot, can purchase a third (league release)". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  11. ^ "2012 MLS Roster Rules". mlssocer.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.
  12. ^ "Roster Rules and Regulations". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  13. ^ "A Look into NYCFC's 2014 Payroll (or "David Villa is making k")". Empire of Soccer. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  14. ^ "2024 MLS Player Salaries". Major League Soccer Players Union.
  15. ^ "MLS Roster Rules and Regulations - MLSsoccer.com". Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "Former MLS Designated Players". Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "Austin FC Acquires $1,075,000 in General Allocation Money". Austin FC. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  18. ^ "Jelle van Damme completes exit from LA Galaxy and joins Royal Antwerp". espnfc.us. ESPN. August 18, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  19. ^ "Roster | Nashville SC".
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