By Farhan Devji/whitecapsfc.com
Continuing his look into the eight player acquisition mechanisms for Major League Soccer (MLS), in the lead up to the MLS Expansion Priority Draft –
NOTE the MLS Expansion Priority Draft
will now take place on Monday, August 23
- club correspondent Farhan Devji looks at the importance of the allocation, Discovery, and waiver rankings in the third part of the four-part series -
CLICK HERE
FOR PART ONE and
HERE
FOR PART TWO.
ALLOCATION RANKING
An important player acquisition mechanism, which could have a significant effect on Vancouver Whitecaps FC's inaugural MLS roster, is the allocation system. If the 'Caps end up with top spot in the allocation ranking (they will either be first or second in 2011), they will have first dibs, so to speak, on any former MLS player who was transferred or United States international player returning to the league. "There have been times when big names have come back and there has been years where it hasn’t been as important," Whitecaps director of soccer operations Tommy Soehn told whitecapsfc.com.
One expansion team that made use of their allocation priority were San Jose Earthquakes. In 2008, the Earthquakes signed Haitian striker Jean Phillipe Peguero with their first allocation spot. Peguero, who previously played for Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls, made four appearances with the club before retiring due to persistent injuries. It was this signing that bumped another expansion team, Toronto FC, to top of the allocation priority list.
Once a team uses its allocation ranking to acquire a player, it will drop to the bottom of the list. The allocation ranking resets at the conclusion of each MLS season, according to the league's final standings.
It should be noted, however, that it is not only the team with the first allocation ranking that can get the player they desire. Last season, for example, D.C. United used their second position in the allocation ranking to acquire midfielder Danny Szetela, who previously played for Columbus Crew. Szetela appeared in four league matches with United, but was waived less than a year after joining the team.
Soehn says determining which players may be returning to the league next season will be key in determining whether the allocation is a mechanism they pursue in the upcoming Expansion Priority Draft. "I think we'll have to predict who that might be and weigh whether we'd like to use that selection earlier or focus on something else."
DISCOVERY RANKING
The Discovery process is used to determine which teams get priority over players signing with MLS from a different league, or players who are without a contract and were not included in the MLS SuperDraft process. This could apply, as it has in the past, with players joining the league from the USSF D-2 Pro League.
Earlier this year, former Whitecaps FC midfielder Joey Gjertsen signed with 2008 expansion club San Jose Earthquakes after leading Montreal Impact to last year's United Soccer Leagues First Division title. Prior to signing him, the Earthquakes had already placed a Discovery claim on Gjertsen, and since they had a higher Discovery ranking than the three other interested clubs, San Jose had priority to sign the American once he decided to join the league.
Simply, if two or more clubs wish to 'Discover' the same player, the team with the higher ranking has priority to negotiate with that player. After Wednesday's Expansion Priority Draft, the Whitecaps will know whether they are 17th or 18th in the Discovery ranking for the 2011 season.
In the past, MLS teams have had the opportunity to make six Discovery signings per season, leading up to the roster freeze and trade deadline, while expansion teams can make 10 Discovery signings in their inaugural season. However, it should be noted that these Discovery signings can only be used to fill senior roster spots, and Discovery claims expire at the conclusion of every MLS season.
WAIVER RANKING
Similar to the Discovery Ranking, the Whitecaps and Portland Timbers will not have priority in the annual MLS Waiver Draft. Instead, the 'Caps will occupy either the 17th or 18th slot.
However, judging by the recent history of the Waiver Draft, these rankings may not necessarily hold as much weight, as it may seem. For example, Abe Thompson was the sole player to be selected from 11 available players in the MLS Waiver Draft following the 2009 season. Similarly, there were no players selected in the 2005 MLS Waiver Draft, held prior to the start of the regular season. MLS usually has two of these drafts during the year - one just before the start of the season and one just upon its conclusion.
Yet, there have been instances when teams have made successful acquisitions in one of the league's two waiver drafts. In 2008, New York Red Bulls re-acquired their all-time appearance leader in Mike Petke through the draft, while in 2007, Toronto FC selected goalkeeper Jon Busch. Though Busch never appeared for TFC, he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with Chicago Fire in 2008.
It should be noted that waiver rankings also come into play throughout the season, when teams may place certain players on waivers at any time.
