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We’re getting very close to the MLS Roster Compliance date (in 2016 it was March 1st). That is the day that every MLS team must meet the league’s roster requirements ahead of the upcoming season. While not official, there are very strong reports that MLS is allowing two additional roster slots for teams this year for Homegrown Players, bumping up the total to 30 slots.
There are surely still a few roster moves to be made by Atlanta United that include likely acquiring one or two more international slots. The club currently have 13 international players and only nine available slots. In turn, you will also see a few players loaned out.
We’ve done our best to maneuver through the crazy roster rules that MLS have and attempt to project the club’s inaugural roster. Inevitably we will probably have overlooked something or have gotten something completely wrong. Thankfully Darren Eales, Carlos Bocanegra, and Paul McDonough are paid to do this stuff and will most definitely not make those mistakes. But anyways, here’s our sure-to-be-wrong projection:
Senior Roster
*- denotes Designated Player
**- denotes Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) signing (Source)
+- denotes International Player
++- denotes Homegrown Player
^- denotes Generation adidas Player
Up to 20 players, occupying roster spots 1-20, count against the club’s 2016 salary budget of $3,660,000, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Senior Roster.
Roster spots 19 and 20 are not required to be filled, and teams may spread their salary budget across only 18 Salary Budget Players. A minimum salary budget charge will be imputed against a team’s salary budget for each unfilled senior roster spot below 18.
A Club may have no more than twenty (20) Players on its Senior Roster, subject to the Season-ending Injury Replacement, Disabled List, and loan exceptions.
The maximum budget charge for a single player is $457,500.* (SOURCE)
Projected Starting Lineup
GK: Alec Kann
LB: Greg Garza
CB: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez **+
CB: Michael Parkhurst
RB: Tyrone Mears
CDM: Carlos Carmona **+
CM: Chris McCann **+
CM: Miguel Almiron *+
LW: Josef Martinez *+
ST: Kenwyne Jones +
RW: Hector “Tito” Villalba *+
The Best of the Rest
12. Yamil Asad +
13. Jeff Larentowicz
14. Kevin Kratz +
15. Zach Loyd
16. Jacob Peterson
17. Alexander Tambakis
18. Mark Bloom
19. Harrison Heath
20. Kyle Reynish (Currently on trial)
Supplemental Roster
Players occupying roster spots 21-24 do not count against the club’s salary budget, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Supplemental Roster. A Club may have no more than four Players on its Supplemental Roster, subject to the Season-ending Injury Replacement, Disabled List, and loan exceptions.
Slots 21-24 may be filled with (i) Senior Minimum Salary Budget Charge Players ($62,500 in 2016) which may include Homegrown Players, (ii) Generation adidas Players, or (iii) any specifically designated Players eligible for the MLS SuperDraft.
All Generation adidas players are Supplemental Roster players.
All Players on the Supplemental Roster must be paid a base salary which is at least the Senior Minimum Salary: $62,500.
21. Andrew Carleton ++
22. Chris Goslin ++
23. Miles Robinson ^
24. Brandon Vazquez
Reserve Roster
Players occupying roster spots 25-28 may be filled with Players earning either (i) the Reserve Minimum Salary Budget Charge ($51,500 in 2016) or (ii) Homegrown Players earning more than the Reserve Minimum Salary Budget Charge.
Reserve Minimum Salary Players must be 24-years-old or younger during the league year*.
These slots may not be filled with Senior Minimum Salary Players or Generation adidas Players.
All Players in slots 25-28 must be paid a base salary which is at least the Reserve Minimum Salary: $51,500.
25. Julian Gressel + (Acquire additional Intl Spot)
26. Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu
27. Anton Walkes + (6-Month Loan from Spurs) (Acquire additional Intl Spot)
28. Mikey Ambrose
29. OPEN SPOT
30. OPEN SPOT
Romario Williams + (Loan Out)
Jeffrey Otoo + (Loan Out)