The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gregersen is third Designated Player
New centerback joins Giakoumakis, Almada in top tier.
Giorgos Giakoumakis, Thiago Almada and new signee Stian Gregersen will be Atlanta United’s three Designated Players to start its eighth season in MLS.
The club provided some contract information about the composition of its roster Friday ahead of today’s season-opening match at Columbus.
Vice president Carlos Bocanegra, speaking Friday, said the team doesn’t have the cap space to sign another starting-caliber player. That is important because the team could be without several starters who may be called into their national teams for lengthy absences during the season. Bocanegra said the team may pursue a backup striker and left fullback during the next transfer window in the summer.
“We feel pretty good about our roster and pretty deep at the various positions,” Bocanegra said.
A Designated Player is one whose salary, plus the transfer fee to acquire, when amortized over the length of the contract exceeds $1,683,750 per year.
Players whose salaries will result in the club using Targeted Allocation Money are Luis Abram, Derrick Etienne, Brooks Lennon, Saba Lobjanidze (who was a DP), Bartosz Slisz and Jamal Thiare. TAM players are those whose salary and transfer fee when amortized over the length of the contract total less than $1,683,750 and more than $683,750. Each MLS club receives $2.4 million in Targeted Allocation Money at the start of the season. That is used to buy down salaries to or below $683,750.
Players who will occupy international slots are Abram, Giakoumakis, Gregersen, Lobjanidze, Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Slisz and Thiare.
Almada and Edwin Mosquera have secured green cards and no longer will occupy international slots.
Erik Centeno will be the only player sent on a season-long loan to Atlanta United 2, according to Bocanegra. He said the other Homegrowns and less-experienced players can stay with the first team but get important game minutes with Atlanta United 2.
This was the second year that the club has released its roster with contract lengths for each player.