MLS A to Z: A guide to Major League Soccer's terminology
Major League Soccer operates a little differently than other leagues around the world, so it's no wonder that some of its nuances can be confusing for new fans to understand.
Here's an A to Z guide on the MLS terms you ought to know:
Allocation Ranking
A priority ranking that players returning to the league must go through. For example: When Clint Dempsey returned to MLS, the Portland Timbers held the top spot, so the U.S. forward was naturally allocated to the Seattle Sounders.
Baldomero Toledo
A referee added to certain fixtures in order to increase tension, add more drama, and dole out more penalties and red cards.
Calendar
The schedule MLS adopts, which doesn't align with FIFA's calendar, leaving teams short on international players during key fixtures throughout the season.
Designated Player
A Designated Player (DP) is a (often old) footballer whose entire salary doesn't count against the cap. Teams not named "LA Galaxy" are permitted a maximum of three DPs.
Expansion
Expansion refers to the league's growth into new cities. The league plans to expand to 24 teams by 2020, 28 teams by 2024, and 160 teams by 2028.
Future Considerations
A fancy way of saying "we got robbed on this trade."
General Allocation Money
General allocation money (GAM) is MLS funny money used to pay down salaries, conduct trades, and help minimum-salary players pay their rent.
Homegrown Players
Homegrown Players are those bred in labs specifically to play soccer, brought up on a strict diet of formula and Chipotle. Can also refer to a local talent who signs with his hometown team.
International Roster Spots
A roster limit placed on non-domestic players. For example: If Toronto FC trades domestic Canadian talent Jonathan Osorio to U.S. outfit FC Dallas, his now-foreign feet will require an international roster spot.
Jerseys
Colorful shirts worn by soccer players to advertise banks, vehicles, pyramid schemes multi-level marketing companies, and other sponsors.
Kaka
The name of a famous Brazilian soccer player ... we know, but he's actually pretty good.
LA Galaxy
Founded by David Beckham in 2007, the Galaxy are a special team in Major League Soccer to whom the rules of the league often don't apply.
MLS SuperDraft
The MLS SuperDraft is the SuperSystem used by SuperClubs to SuperDraft top SuperTalents from SuperColleges.
New York Red Bulls
A team based in New Jersey that was created to sell energy drinks. Usually drop out of the playoffs faster than a shot of Jager falls into a glass of said energy drink.
Owners
People who don't know what they're doing and don't spend enough. They should probably sell their franchises to people who know what they're doing and spend enough.
Playoffs
The really, really hard-to-get-into postseason competition that pits 12 of the 20 teams against one another to battle for the MLS Cup.
Quality
The unreachable standard set upon a 21-year-old league that distinguishes it negatively from 100-year-old European competition.
Re-Entry Draft
A system that offers out-of-contract players a second chance at riding the bench for another team.
Salary Cap
The harsh financial restriction imposed on Toronto FC to enforce parity. It's currently set at a whopping $3.66 million for an entire roster.
Targeted Allocation Money
Targeted allocation money (TAM) is a financial injection of $1.6 million over two seasons that was implemented to help the league sign more top talent. TAM can be traded for GAM, JAM, and YAMS.
USL Loan
A system that allows teams to shoo off reserve players to a lower league and forget about them for a while before eventually waiving them.
Voting
The online system used to help Seattle Sounders and Orlando City players win Goal of the Week on the league's official website.
Waiver Draft
See Re-Entry Draft, but substitute "bench role" for "USL loan."
XI
A two-letter term used to replace the hard-to-type "11."
Youth Development
The area of focus where the U.S. has failed terribly because they haven't produced a Lionel Messi yet.
Zero-Zero
A scoreline so scary in American sports that MLS opted to end games with a penalty shootout during its formative years in order to prevent it.