As we think about the three Yanks stranded by the mess at debt-crushed Rangers, including U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra (pictured), perhaps now is a good time to remind everyone what the current allocation order looks like in MLS.
Bocanegra and Maurice Edu would go through the allocation process if they decided the time was right for an MLS return, which means New England would have first dibs, followed by Toronto, etc.
Remember, the allocation order re-sets each year. I doubt anyone would pass on Bocanegra, or probably Edu either. Even if it meant having to move a player to create salary cap space, a player of Bocanegra’s quality and leadership ability could hardly be turned away.
The tougher choice comes with a player like Alejandro Bedoya, the third American man at Rangers, who probably would be subject to the allocation process as well. If the young winger decided to sign with MLS (less a possibility than the other two, based solely on the fact that he’s never played here), that becomes a much tougher choice. Because once a team takes a player like Bedoya, they fall to the bottom of the list and lose the opportunity for a Bocanegra.
But that’s why they pay these guys – to make the hard choices.
Here’s the current order:
- (1) New England
- (2) Toronto
- (3) Chivas USA
- (4) San Jose
- (5) DC United
- (6) Portland
- (7) Chicago
- (8) Columbus
- (9) Dallas
- (10) New York
- (11) Vancouver
- (12) Seattle
- (13) Kansas City
- (14) Salt Lake
- (15) Houston
- (16) Los Angeles
- (17) Montreal (Eddie Johnson)
- (18) Colorado (Kamani Hill)
- (19) Philadelphia (Bakary Soumare)
