As long as you’re not worried about the immense salary gap it causes between the few MLS-haves and the multitude of MLS have-nots, the Designated Player Rule has been a resounding success. New York DP Juan Pablo Angel has unquestionably been one of the league’s best players, while Chicago’s mid-season arrival Cuauhtemoc Blanco just may have saved his team’s playoff hopes. Sure, David Beckham has missed out through injury, but still, there’s no denying his impact on the bottom line.
So Claudio Reyna (New York) and Denilson (FC Dallas), haven’t quite lived up to expectations, but that’s okay, says ESPN’s Steve Davis, who calls the rule “a clear success.” Now the question becomes: what of next season? Will the league grant teams another DP slot? MLS Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis says the rule’s future has not been discussed, but it will be reexamined at the end of the season.
Some teams, like Los Angeles, are pushing for a second DP slot to be approved. Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas tells Davis that “without a doubt,” each team should receive another DP slot. At this point L.A. needs to acquire another slot in the off-season to retain both David Beckham and Landon Donovan for next season. Expensive players like Donovan and Kansas City’s Eddie Johnson were able to compete this season without costing teams a DP slot, but that dispensation doesn’t apply for next season. Dallas faces the same problem with Denilson and Carlos Ruiz.