Major League Soccer has announced updates to its 2017 roster rules aimed at giving teams a greater incentive to sign Homegrown Players. 

The league announced that it would be adding “two off-budget” spots to every club’s roster in order to enable teams to sign additional Homegrown Players.

MLS has also expanded the use of Targeted Allocation Money. Clubs may now use “up to $200,000 of their existing Targeted Allocation Money to sign Homegrown Players.” 

“Youth development continues to be a key strategic priority for MLS,” said MLS Executive Vice President of Competition and Player Relations Todd Durbin in a prepared statement. “These two changes allow greater flexibility for our clubs, as the two additional roster spots give our clubs the ability to sign a greater number of promising young players, while the use of Targeted Allocation Money on new Homegrown Players gives them more financial resources to help retain that top talent.”

The salary budget in 2017 will be $3,845,000. Players 1-20 on the roster count against the 2017 salary budget and are considered the club’s Senior Roster. 

The base salary of players on the Supplemental Roster (spots 21-24) will be $65,000, while the base salary for players on the Reserve Roster (spots 25-30) will be $53,000. The salaries of players on the supplemental and reserve rosters do not count against the salary cap.  

HERE is a complete look at the 2017 roster rules and the changes from 2016. 

— Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

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