Can SomeOne Explain The MLS Drafts

i am looking to start a mls network game wit sum mates but want to get a good idea on how the drafts work and how you ntrade them and stuff it really makes 0 sense to me

thanks in advance lads and gals

I think if it works like NBA you just get a pick of the players in the draft, 1 player at a time, with the club that came bottom in the previous season getting first pick, then second bottom and so on..

right okay and if you trade on of these picks for a player ?

I will try and explain the draft in a nutshell

The Draft is the selection of young prospects and to be drafted means the transfer of your professional rights to that club. If Toronto drafts C.Suazo, that means they have the exclusive right to sign him to a professional contract.

You can trade for the rights of the prospects and you can also trade your Draft Selections, that means when its your turn to draft, the team you traded your pick to gets to pick leaving you with nothing.

Be careful about trading your draft picks especially if your a weak team because the first round selections are the star players for that year.

Sure, there are three drafts.

The drafts replace the annual crop of youth players you will be used to getting from playing in European leagues; MLS teams do not have a youth academy. Instead of playing Under-18 matches affiliated with an MLS team, most players go to university, and play NCAA matches until about the age of 21 or 22. When they graduate university, they "declare" for the draft. (There may also be some very young players, "Generation Adidas" players such as Freddy Adu, who declare for the draft.)

The team which selects the player in the draft is the *only* MLS team which can sign them.

In each draft, the team with the worst record from the previous season gets the first choice - so, theoretically, the best player. The second-worst team gets the second choice, etc, with the defending champions picking last. Once all teams have made a choice, then the "Second Round" begins, again starting with the worst team from the previous season.

The three drafts are:

The SuperDraft. This is the draft which will have the most players in it. Draft choices in the first round of this draft, especially the first half of the round, are typically projected as future MLS stars. Selections through about the second round should be expected to eventually develop into a decent MLS starter. Later selections should be considered squad players.

The Supplemental Draft. Any player who is not selected in the SuperDraft is eligible in the Supplemental Draft. Some other players who had not previously declared may also join the Supplemental Draft. In general, only a first round Supplemental choice is going to be of much value; 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round selections are unlikely to play a large role on your team.

Let's pause for a moment.

Contracts signed by MLS players are signed *with the league*, not with the specific club. Clubs have a maximum total wage (salary cap) and a maximum wage per player (wage cap). There is also a roster limit, as in Spain, where you can only give a number to N (22?) players. However, you can have more players on the roster over winter (35?).

Players who are not given a number must be Waived.

Players Waived during the off-season - typically on the day that you must go from 35? to 22? players - are eligible for selection in the third draft, the Waiver Draft. This works much the same as the previous two drafts, only now you are usually selecting from veteran players who have failed to make a team.

Teams "claiming" the Waived player assume responsibility for his previous contract.

Players who are not claimed have their contract terminated.

During the regular season, if a player is Waived, teams have up to two days to put in a Claim for the player; the team with the worst record from the previous season has priority in Claiming the player.

Obviously, both the Waiver Draft and in-season waiver-claims may trigger subsequent waivers, as the team has to give the newly claimed player a number .. which means it has to Waive another player to make room for him.

Hope that helps - I recommend you search for Alijarov's MLS Quick Guide before embarking on an MLS multi-player game.

2 North Americans (I assume Amaroq lives in my time zone ) beat me to this thread.

Basically what the only other toronto sports fan on the boards other than me and Amaroq said...

thanks a bunch guys this will be mega helpful thanks loads

Lol, The MLS is second nature to us but to people Overseas it must seem really confusing but the transition to european soccer was pretty hard for me. I was suprised when I heard about "transfers" and no drafts!

Lol, The MLS is second nature to us but to people Overseas it must seem really confusing but the transition to european soccer was pretty hard for me. I was suprised when I heard about "transfers" and no drafts!

It's not too bad between the transition between North American and European policies. Well, it was easy for me.

I grew up watching drafts (yes I watch drafts ) and always get psyched up about the latest 'breaking news trade' happening in one of the 4 major North American sports.

the NFL draft is the pinnacle of my sporting year. And I'm an Essex boy. Oi vey.

My wife - years later - still gives me **** - err, guff - for taking her to my friend's NFL draft party. To be fair, my team had the first pick of the second round, and I really really wanted a player (Drew Brees) so she had to wait six hours before we could leave ..

.. but yeah, I do kinda have to agree with her, for the most part its only interesting to me when my team are picking.

(Bonus points to anybody who knows the year and my team from the information given without looking it up online!)

My wife - years later - still gives me **** - err, guff - for taking her to my friend's NFL draft party. To be fair, my team had the first pick of the second round, and I really really wanted a player (Drew Brees) so she had to wait six hours before we could leave ..

.. but yeah, I do kinda have to agree with her, for the most part its only interesting to me when my team are picking.

(Bonus points to anybody who knows the year and my team from the information given without looking it up online!)

Drew Brees? The San Diego Chargers drafted them of course! 2001 I think.

Didn't LT get drafted in '01 too?

And I don't think the Detroit Lions drafted a quarterback or wide receiver in the first round that year.

i played the mls 1nc & i found it TOTALY BAFFLING-LOL i havent played it since.

someone like "beckham"-&-"the rest of the world" should tell them that there soccer needs DRASTIC IMPROOVEMENT?

To be honest, I'm Canadian, and I still understand it. It's a pretty stupid concept to be "different" yet it fails to be any better. All it does is confuse.

I prefer the real way. The European... And well everything other country in the worlds way.

Drew Brees? The San Diego Chargers drafted them of course! 2001 I think.

Didn't LT get drafted in '01 too?

And I don't think the Detroit Lions drafted a quarterback or wide receiver in the first round that year.

Ding!

We have a winner!

Yep, the Chargers traded the #1 overall pick to Atlanta for the #5 pick, WR/KR Tim Dwight, a 2001 3rd-round pick, and a 2002 2nd-round pick. Atlanta picked Michael Vick. San Diego picked L.T. ... and then got their franchise quarterback with the first pick of Round 2, Drew Brees.

Your bonus point is correct, though I had to look it up - the Detroit Lions drafted offensive lineman Jeff Backus with the #18 pick .. and he's been a better choice than Vick, too, as he's still in their starting lineup.

(Wait .. the Lions drafted #18? I don't remember them being that good in my lifetime! Was Wayne Fontes still the coach?)

Ding!

We have a winner!

Yep, the Chargers traded the #1 overall pick to Atlanta for the #5 pick, WR/KR Tim Dwight, a 2001 3rd-round pick, and a 2002 2nd-round pick. Atlanta picked Michael Vick. San Diego picked L.T. ... and then got their franchise quarterback with the first pick of Round 2, Drew Brees.

Your bonus point is correct, though I had to look it up - the Detroit Lions drafted offensive lineman Jeff Backus with the #18 pick .. and he's been a better choice than Vick, too, as he's still in their starting lineup.

(Wait .. the Lions drafted #18? I don't remember them being that good in my lifetime! Was Wayne Fontes still the coach?)

as a detroit lions fan from cheshire i was glued to nfl.com for about 3 weeks before this years draft hoping some amazing twist of fate might bring us darren mcfadden or jake long.... :sigh:

Ding!

We have a winner!

Yep, the Chargers traded the #1 overall pick to Atlanta for the #5 pick, WR/KR Tim Dwight, a 2001 3rd-round pick, and a 2002 2nd-round pick. Atlanta picked Michael Vick. San Diego picked L.T. ... and then got their franchise quarterback with the first pick of Round 2, Drew Brees.

Your bonus point is correct, though I had to look it up - the Detroit Lions drafted offensive lineman Jeff Backus with the #18 pick .. and he's been a better choice than Vick, too, as he's still in their starting lineup.

(Wait .. the Lions drafted #18? I don't remember them being that good in my lifetime! Was Wayne Fontes still the coach?)

At least you got Philip Rivers now Amaroq.

I still think that the Chargers made the wrong decision going with Rivers after letting Brees go to the Saints...like this year when the Packers traded Favre and went with Rodgers...bad decision.

Of course, it went all downhill in '02 once the Lions drafted Joey Harrington out of Oregon...

Yes, yes they did. Actually, the mistake was several years earlier, when they drafted Rivers at all - though that trade wound up working pretty well for them (Draft choices which became Rivers, Merriman, and K Nate Kaeding, in exchange for Eli Manning).

That was a mistake because a statistical analysis of successful starting quarterbacks shows a solid "inflection point" - their fourth-and-later seasons as a starter tend to be dramatically better than their first-through-third seasons. Brees, at the time they drafted Rivers, had just completed his third season. It was predictable that he would show marked improvement for his fourth season.

Then, they let go an All-Pro quarterback, replacing him with one which - no matter how much potential he had - needed to go through the three-year learning process.

Sure, he led them to 14-2 that first year .. but I suspect that, with an All-Pro quarterback at the helm instead of a first-year starter, they might have won the Super Bowl with that team.

That said, I like Rivers; he's the top-rated passer in the league this year, and he's just about to enter his fourth year as a starter .. he may eventually be better than Brees .. but will he reach that point before the "window of opportunity" closes?

The Aaron Rogers switch has the same logic - you took an NFC-Championship quality team, and put a first-year starter in charge. I just hope Rogers doesn't get judged by this season; that's horribly unfair to him.

Mattholmes - sorry, mate. I think you got the best personnel move you possibly could have when they fired Matt Millen mid-season. I honestly believe I could do a better job than that joker. Loved him as a player; he's a great person from everything I hear. As a GM? Not so much.

Now if SI would create "NFL Manager 2009" I could officially claim I have NO life and retire to a room in my basement.

In fairness I don't think Rodgers has been that bad this season. I just think McCarthy has no faith in him (obviously he wanted Favre to stay). However I don't rate Rivers. I think he is a solid passer but takes advantage of a good short-passing system and an excellent running game. I don't think he'll ever be as good as Brees (the Saints have no running game and, outside of Colston, no top-notch receiver) who, in my opinion, is phenomenal. I just get the feeling the Chargers never really wanted Brees, he wasn't prototypical enough.

And Rhacer there is NFL Head Coach, though it is not SI made (and suffers for it). Still it took over alot of my time.

In fairness I don't think Rodgers has been that bad this season. I just think McCarthy has no faith in him (obviously he wanted Favre to stay). However I don't rate Rivers. I think he is a solid passer but takes advantage of a good short-passing system and an excellent running game. I don't think he'll ever be as good as Brees (the Saints have no running game and, outside of Colston, no top-notch receiver) who, in my opinion, is phenomenal. I just get the feeling the Chargers never really wanted Brees, he wasn't prototypical enough.

And Rhacer there is NFL Head Coach, though it is not SI made (and suffers for it). Still it took over alot of my time.

Wow, someone has a similar name to me. I thought you were referring to me for a sec. (rhacer lol)

I never liked Rivers from the start, though like you said Amaroq it was an impressive trade with All-Pro LB Merriman and a good K in Kaeding for "Peyton's Little Brother" (sorry can't resist ). So I think the overall trade worked out for both teams, but I'll give the slight edge to the Giants cuz of the Super Bowl win.

And I'm not blaming Rodgers for anything. But I think the Packers were afraid that Rodgers was going to leave for another team if he wasn't the starting QB...I think it was a panic move.

Personally, I blame Ted Thompson on that whole Favre debacle, I wanted him to stay in Green Bay...but I would put some blame on Favre as well. Make up your mind Brett! Retire already!!! (alas he's back to his old tricks with the Jets... , and I will make the bold prediction that the Jets will panic and trade the unsettled Favre to who-knows-where (the Tampa Bay Bucs lol?) and sink or swim with Kellen Clemons)

And it's a pity to see Brees on that Saints team...the two back tandem of Bush and McAllister just aren't doing their part. And I (think) both are hurt...Bush shouldn't even be a NFL running back imo. Great at USC, a below average pro career for a number 2 pick.

And yes the new NFL Head Coach is out. I got the PC original version of it. That game was so bugged...and too easy. Haven't tried the latest one though. I prefer FM anyways. Most realistic game ever.

And back to the MLS Draft...

Make sure you scout the players before the draft. Scouting them will obviously give you an idea of how good they are/will be but also importantly how what type of contract they are looking for.

During the season you can have up to 18 Senior players (which includes Designated Players). The overall, in season roster limit is 28 players. The rest of your team will be made up of senior developmental players, developmental players, and Generation Adidas players. GA players have longer contracts than you can sign other developmental players to, and they also make more money which your team doesn't even have to pay.

Two things to watch out for when looking at the available players:

1. International players. You'll only be able to have around 8 international players, depending on your particular team situation. I prefer not to waste these slots and my draft picks on mediocre, not important players so keep that in mind but do what you like.

2. Through scouting you'll see that some players want a salary that would make them a senior player, meaning they would count against your 18 senior player limit. Try not to waste one of these contracts on a player who is not among your best 18 and will probably not develop into a player deserving of a senior contract, so be mindful of this.

The draft is fun and it's important to have a strategy beforehand with your needs and priorities. Even if it's best player available, that's fine. My last strategy was: 1. ST who will occasionally sub in, 2. backup DL to replace the sold for a 2nd round Superdraft pick, 3. DC who will rarely play, 4. someone who can play AMC, 5. best player available or highest potential. I didn't end up picking in that order though, due to how many players were still available who could fill a need.

(Wait .. the Lions drafted #18? I don't remember them being that good in my lifetime! Was Wayne Fontes still the coach?)

Just because Matt Millen managed to make a mockery of a franchise that hadn't had much success since the merger, doesn't mean you should make fun of us further.

Just got promoted to League 1 with Mertyr, hope I'll get some transfer money this time :| though I doubt it... I'll post a full season update later or tomorrow.

I think you're in the wrong thread mate. This is about MLS drafts. (and maybe some other drafts too )

I think you wanted to post here

EDIT: Where did Takamaru's post go... :confused:

you do make a player a designated player

im toronto and i have one spot remaining out of one

but i dont know how to use:mad::mad::

you do make a player a designated player

im toronto and i have one spot remaining out of one

but i dont know how to use:mad::mad::

You can just set the status of a player in MLS who you want to sign as 'Designated Player' and then you will have used your DP slot.

i mean if he already plays for you or can you not do that

i mean if he already plays for you or can you not do that

Please expand. I don't totally understand what you mean. :o

Interesting thread lads.

So what happens if a club like Juventus or Aston Villa are interested in signing a player from a MLS team, and obviously have transfer funds they can spend. Do the teams sell/buy players, keep the revenue etc?

I've been a football supporter for 25+ years, and played CM/FM since the start, and just realised I have no idea how MLS works...

Interesting thread lads.

So what happens if a club like Juventus or Aston Villa are interested in signing a player from a MLS team, and obviously have transfer funds they can spend. Do the teams sell/buy players, keep the revenue etc?

I've been a football supporter for 25+ years, and played CM/FM since the start, and just realised I have no idea how MLS works...

IRL, the transfer policy from the policy in FM. Technically, the MLS have the rights to all the players in the league. So essentially the league can sell players as they see fit. 25% of it goes to the league, and the club keeps the other 75%. The club can basically do whatever it wants with money: improve facilities, or buy players.

The MLS have been a bit too protective with their players, affecting their overall development. Take Eddie Johnson for an example. Drafted in 2001 as a 17-year old by the Dallas Burn/FC Dallas franchise, he was going to be the next can't miss player for the USMNT. He struggled in his first few seasons, but then started to score goals left and right. Before long, Benfica was interested...

But MLS said no. It wasn't for the best interests for the league. Johnson stayed in Dallas. Real Sociedad came calling. Finally MLS relented when Fulham wanted Johnson and he left. Very quickly.

Other examples include former Chivas USA GK Brad Guzan, and Brian McBride (formerly Columbus Crew) and Clint Dempsey, from New England (not totally sure about these two if they left as free agents or not. Please verify this Amaroq ). Currently, another New England ST, Taylor Twellman, is in a similar situation. He needs to leave for the better of the league and the player.

Thankfully, in FM, there's only the 25% transfer clause to MLS to deal with. (But even that's annoying )

That's the only thing I hate about MLS. Thank you SI for not making the MLS too realistic.

This system a lot worse than say having a Director of Football getting players and a chairman selling them...it's a company's total monopoly on player rights...