With Lionel Messi’s arrival in MLS, there have been calls for the league to take steps to either simplify or overhaul some of its rules for player acquisition and the salary budget.
Atlanta United Vice President Carlos Bocanegra last week brought up an idea that has been floating around for a few years. It’s one that most leagues around the world have but MLS doesn’t: an intraleague transfer market.
One team in MLS can’t sell a player’s rights to another team for real money. It can sell rights for allocation money, which is a currency the league uses but teams must spend it in certain ways and by certain deadlines. The largest trade for allocation money within MLS is $2 million.
“The league’s done a fantastic job of evolving,” Bocanegra said. “I just think that on the global game, Messi’s here, league’s more visible, that would be really important next step for the league in general to be able to have that.”
As an example, Bocanegra brought up the sale of Hector Villalba during the 2020 preseason. Bocanegra said the team was up against the salary cap and had to sell certain players. Villalba was very productive for the team with 21 goals and 24 assists and three trophies from 2017-20. The team couldn’t afford to trade him for a small amount of allocation money. Instead, it sold him for a reported fee of $4.4 million to Libertad in Paraguay.
“You can’t dish out a million and a half GAM for every every player right?” Bocanegra said. “So if they could spend a million and a half, two million, he would have stayed in the league and been a great kind of -- I hate the tags -- lower level DP. That’s not a slight to Tito or anyone. That’s just, again, I don’t like the the tags that we put on people.”
He also brought up Diego Rossi, a player who was a standout for LAFC before he was sold to a club in Turkey during the 2022 season. He was brought back to MLS by Columbus at the end of last week’s transfer window. He said if Rossi were able to be purchased by an MLS club, he may have been sold for more than the $6 million that LAFC received from Fenerbahce.
“Who knows what the price is,” Bocanegra said. “That’s nuanced. But at least you set a floor for all the players if you have an internal transfer market, which is good for the ownership, which is good for the fan base, because they get more involved. They’re sided. You know, it’s it’s drives a lot more news, right?”
Bocanegra said he doesn’t know if the Board of Governors discussed the possibility of allowing intra-league transfers at its recent meeting. But he hopes that it did.
Should the league change its rules, Atlanta United would be well-positioned to take advantage.
Bocanegra said the franchise’s reputation as being focused on being people-first, something he said is stressed by owner Arthur Blank, has helped it sign players from around the world.
Part of the team’s pitch involves a 20-page recruiting document put together by its marketing team that helps those who may not be as familiar with the league, franchise or city understand why they should receive consideration. The document includes everything from the team’s facilities to schools, daycare, nail and hair salons, concerts, etc.
“So you hear about LA, Miami, New York, right? Everybody kind of knows that cities,” he said. “But Atlanta is a pretty darn cool city as well. And so showing and highlighting that, and you know that that’s been really useful. It’s a good sales pitch for us.”
For more content about Atlanta United
Follow me on Twitter @DougRobersonAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now
On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson
Atlanta United coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Fried Soccer podcast can be found
Apple - https://apple.co/3ISD6Ve
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3L8TN0C
Google podcasts - https://bit.ly/32KlZW3
If you are listening to us for the first time, please follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast ... and if you like what you hear, please give us a good rating so we can grow the show. If you have questions about the MLS team, you can email Doug Roberson at droberson@ajc.com, DM him on Twitter @dougrobersonajc or call 404-526-2527.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a special offer for Atlanta United supporters and listeners to this podcast. If you subscribe today, you will not only get unlimited digital access to the AJC and the Sunday paper for $2.30 a week but we are also throwing in a special limited-edition Atlanta United and Atlanta Journal-Constitution scarf. So sign up now at subscribe.ajc.com/utdscarf.
Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1
March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0
March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1
March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1
April 1 Atlanta United 1, New York Red Bulls 0
April 8 Atlanta United 1, New York City FC 1
April 15 Atlanta United 2, Toronto FC 2
April 23 Atlanta United 2, Chicago 1
April 29 Nashville SC 3, Atlanta United 1
May 6 Inter Miami CF 2, Atlanta United 1
May 13 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 1
May 17 Atlanta United 4, Colorado 0
May 20 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 3
May 27 Atlanta United 1, Orlando 1
May 31 Atlanta United 3, New England 3
June 7 Atlanta United 0, LAFC 0
June 10 Atlanta United 3, D.C. United 1
June 21 Atlanta United 2, New York City 2
June 24 New York Red Bulls 4, Atlanta United 0
July 2 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 0
July 8 Atlanta United 1, Montreal 0
July 12 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
July 15 Orlando City 2, Atlanta United 1
July 25 Miami 4, Atlanta United 0 in Leagues Cup
July 29 Cruz Azul 1 (5), Atlanta United (4) 1 in Leagues Cup
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 5 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
About the Author
