This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Reinforcements are on the way. Again.
Five months after Major League Soccer announced the implementation of targeted allocation money, a mechanism designed to provide each club with the opportunity bolster roster talent and sign more high-profile players (see, Burrito Martinez), the league announced Wednesday additional increased investments.
In a release, MLS announced that nearly $37 million will be added to league-wide player compensation during the next two seasons, providing clubs with the opportunity to sign more impact players in the middle of their roster, plus add continual homegrown talent.
In early July, MLS announced $100,000 in targeted allocation money would go to each team in 2015, and over the next five years, each team would receive $500,000, which expires in 2019.
This time around? There's much more money to play with.
Each MLS club will receive an additional $800,000 in targeted allocation money for the 2016 season as well as an additional $800,000 for the 2017 campaign. Like before, TAM may be used to sign new or re-sign existing players on the roster. The money, as we've already seen this offseason in in-league deals, may be traded as well.
In addition, $125,000 will be afforded to each club per year to sign more Homegrown talent.
"By injecting an additional $35 million into the system, our clubs will be able to strengthen the depth of their rosters by signing more high-quality players," said MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott in the release. "We saw immediate dividends this past season with the initial investment in targeted allocation money, and our owners believe that additional spending — especially for players who will impact the middle of our rosters — will make MLS even more entertaining and compelling."
The newly-infused TAM money must be used within the next four transfer windows, according to the release. The funds must also be used prior to the conclusion of the secondary transfer window in 2017. The 2017 funds must be used by the secondary transfer window in 2018.
Real Salt Lake utilized targeted allocation money this summer to acquire Martinez, who spent the last two seasons at Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors. The most-expensive Designated Player in club history was sign after RSL used TAM to lower the budget hit of DP and captain Kyle Beckerman.
-Chris Kamrani
Twitter: @chriskamrani