Sounders Notebook: MLS gives teams another designated player slot to add superstar

Published 11:58 pm Thursday, April 1, 2010

SEATTLE — Major League Soccer could be adding more star power sometime soon.

The league announced Thursday that it has changed its designated player rule, allowing teams now to have as many as three DPs (players that can be signed to large contracts that only count partially towards the team’s salary cap).

Teams will now be allowed to sign two designated players that would not count more than $335,000 against the cap, down from $415,000. Additionally, teams can now spend $250,000 to purchase a third DP from the league.

The designated player rule began in 2006 to facilitate the signing of English soccer star David Beckham. Currently just five teams, including Seattle (Freddie Ljungberg) have a designated player. The others are Los Angeles’ Beckham, New York’s Juan Pablo Angel, Houston’s Luis Angel Landin and Toronto’s Julian de Guzman.

The rule change likely favors Sounders FC, one of just two teams, along with Toronto, that is currently making a profit.

“This franchise is an aggressive and progressive thinking and looking franchise, and certainly we are going to look to use this new rule to our best advantage,” said Sounders FC Adrian Hanauer. “It allows us to open our eyes and imagine some more very, very special players playing for our fans here in Seattle.”

Hanauer said it is possible his team could add another designated player this season, and also didn’t rule out that the team could take advantage of the ability to purchase the rights to sign a third DP.

“Again, we have a good business,” Hanauer said. “It’s a $250,000 charge to buy a DP. Certainly it’s something that is conceivable.”

And while the main goal of the rule change is to attract new talent to the league, it could also affect teams’ abilities to retain young talent that might otherwise seek big paydays overseas. In Seattle’s case, could that mean using a designated player spot to spend money on Fredy Montero down the line to keep the young and talented forward from moving to Europe?

“It could,” Hanauer said. “I think that that is certainly part of the thinking around the DP rule. We do want to keep good players in this league.”

Ljungberg returns to practice

After sitting out practice Monday and Tuesday with a back injury, midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was back on the field Thursday going through all of practice, a sign that he may be able to play Saturday. Neither he nor Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid was available to the media Thursday.

Montano signing should come soon

Miguel Montano, a promising 18-year-old midfielder/forward from Columbia, has been training with Seattle for more than two weeks, and should be added to the roster soon, Hanauer said.

“I think we’re making some progress there and I would expect that he’ll be on the roster before the transfer window closes on April 15,” Hanauer said.

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.