MLS Formally Adopts the ‘Beckham Rule’

As expected, Major League Soccer announced that next season it will formerly adopt the “designated-player rule,” which has also been referred to as the “Beckham Rule.” This means that teams can sign any high-profile player it can afford, and have only a portion of that player’s salary count against its $2 million salary cap. Under the agreement, $400,000 of that player’s salary would count against the team’s cap. In actual fact, the designated-player rule has been around for a while, but has never formally been adopted. In the past, players like Roberto Donadoni and Carlos Valderrama have been exceptions to the rules set down by the league. More recently, the teams of Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz and Eddie Johnson have been beneficiaries of the rule. Those players, who are still active in MLS, will be “grandfathered” for one season, which means they can still be outside the team’s salary cap in addition to one other player, for next season. After that, they, too, will be classified as “designated players.” In other MLS news, next season will begin April 7 and run through Oct. 21. Teams will play 30 games, instead of 32, with each team playing the other 12 twice, plus six extra games against teams in their conference. MLS Cup 2007 will be held Nov. 18 at an unspecified location.