Sporting Kansas City received targeted allocation money from D.C. United in exchange for the No. 11 overall pick in Thursday’s 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
Targeted allocation money, a Major League Soccer initiative announced last year, allows clubs to further invest in their roster outside of the player salary budget. Targeted allocation money may be used in four ways:
• Clubs may use the funds to sign a new player, provided his salary and acquisition costs are more than the maximum salary budget.
• Clubs may re-sign an existing player, provided he is earning more than the maximum salary budget.
• Clubs may buy down the budget charge of an existing Designated Player (no longer making that player a DP), provided the club concurrently signs a new Designated Player at an investment equal to or greater than the player he is replacing.
• Clubs may trade their targeted allocation money to another club.
The first two rounds of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft were held Thursday at the Baltimore Convention Center. The draft will conclude on Tuesday, Jan. 19, with the third and fourth rounds conducted via conference call. Sporting Kansas City currently holds two picks – No. 52 overall and No. 72 overall – in the remaining rounds.