MLS rules explained: How and why did TFC convert Osorio to a DP?
Thanks to this accounting move, Toronto FC was able to sign Matt Hedges, Sean Johnson, Sigurd Rosted and Raoul Petretta in the off-season.
In the debut of a new series at TFC Republic, we'll look at some of Major League Soccer's more arcane roster rules and break them down by using real-life examples so that they are easily understandable.
In this week's edition: we examine how Toronto FC was able to convert Jonathan Osorio from a TAM player to a Designated Player, how did it benefit the club, and whether or not switching the Canadian's designation hurts TFC's chances of signing another DP.
Toronto FC president Bill Manning revealed last week that Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio joined Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi on the team's books as a Designated Player at the start of the regular season.
“It means nothing. It’s just a way of a team working around the salary cap,” Osorio said about his new DP designation.
Indeed, this was basically an accounting maneuver that allowed TFC to make a series of important roster moves this off-season. Nevertheless, it was still an announcement that caught fans by surprise and caused a lot of confusion.
