THE SANTOS CLAUSE
A new wrinkle to the MLS salary cap, ‘targeted allocation money,’ allows the rich teams to get richer. Can the Whitecaps keep pace with the big spenders?
On the MLS website Wednesday, it took 500 words to explain what targeted allocation money is.
These constantly evolving roster and salary rules really should come with a cap and gown, but here’s the (unofficial) bottom line: The league wants more stars; Stars want to play in L.A. or New York;
MLS has found a way to have Giovani dos Santos, the Mexico international, join Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard and Omar Gonzalez on the Galaxy — all that’s left, surely, is the official announcement.
In short, targeted allocation money, or TAM, allows teams to buy down players like Gonzalez until they’re no longer in designated player territory, as long as said team simultaneously signs a new designated player at an even higher salary.
So, the rich get richer, which is great for TV ratings, buzz, and the quality of play, but does raise some interesting questions about where this league is going.
There are other fun things teams can do with TAM — trade it, of course, because you can trade everything in MLS — and it all makes for fascinating bedtime reading.
But here’s the key question for Vancouver fans: Will the Whitecaps take advantage of TAM and keep pace with the big boys in the West?
Not keep pace by making moves like signing $6-million players like L.A., Seattle, Toronto, New York City, Orlando City — and the other L.A. team come 2018 — because that’s never going to happen here. But keeping pace by making an aggressive move to make sure this season’s good work hasn’t just been for a fun regular-season ride followed by a playoff beat down.
You can bet Seattle’s eyeing L.A. and pondering a serious move of its own.
TAM gives each team access to $500,000 over the next five years, but teams can spend it all at once if they choose.
That’s how L.A. can buy down Gonzalez’s deal, and how the Sounders could buy down Osvaldo Alonso’s contract and make room for another designated player alongside Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.
The Caps could buy down Matias Laba’s deal and add a new designated player, too, somewhere in the $1-2 million range, you’d imagine, given the Caps financial model to date.
Even if Vancouver wanted to spend more than $2 million on a player, good luck finding top-tier guys willing to play all their home games on turf.
The Caps could also use TAM to bring in another $500,000-$750,000type player and buy his contract down below the $436,250 maximum budget hit, thus not needing to free up a designated player spot.
The league’s belief is that a handful of teams will use TAM in that way, increasing the overall quality in the process. But you have to wonder: Can a team with an extra $500,000 player or two compete, over the long term, with a team loaded with $6-million stars?
The past isn’t really a good indicator because there’s never been this many world-class players coming into the league.
“Good question,” said Caps coach Carl Robinson, whose team hosts Kansas City on Sunday at B.C. Place.
“Two fantastic signings (in L.A.). They’ll be very strong. I’m glad we don’t have to play them again this year. Maybe in the playoffs.
“That’s the way the league’s going, unfortunately or fortunately enough. Bringing in top players benefits everyone, and it will benefit this group.
“I won’t change the plan I have. Yes, we can add if we want to. We’re always looking at players. There have been a number of targets, but it has to be right with the model we have here.”
The added challenge of yet another salary mechanism in MLS is that it’s become impossible to know where clubs stand with respect to the $3,490,000 salary cap, or “budget” as the league prefers.
Roster space aside, for the Caps to add a player during this current transfer window, it’s likely they’ll have to move some pieces around to clear room. It probably isn’t as simple as just using TAM to buy down Laba or to buy down a new signing.
Laba, Gershon Koffie, Darren Mattocks and Kekuta Manneh are among the potential players to transfer out in the coming months.
Given that selling Laba or Manneh now would be a slap in the face to fans — not to mention a big dent to their Cup aspirations — Mattocks makes the most sense, if there’s a move to be made.
The Jamaican international, who is currently at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, earned $232,000 last season.
Perhaps there’s a way to sell a player and keep him on loan for the rest of the season, and you can bet that Robinson’s looking at every possible angle as the Caps try to remain atop the West.
They need to find more goals for that to happen.
The Caps’ players are singing the same tune as L.A. loads up for another MLS Cup run. They’re confident in the power of chemistry and continuity.
“Obviously the other teams are (bringing) more quality — really, really quality players,” said veteran Mauro Rosales. “They’re getting stronger and stronger. But as we keep the same mentality, as we keep our unit as we are, we can face anybody.”
Face anybody, yes. But beat them in a playoff series?
The Caps have a good model going — bring in exciting young South American players; develop some of their own; sign some solid MLS veterans and a Pedro Morales type to hold it all together.
It’s taken them to the top of the West and we’re more than half way through the season. But the landscape changes this month and they’ve got a big decision to make.
Is it enough to be competitive and groom young players to sell on? Or do they really want to have a shot at the MLS Cup?