Since the dawn of the David Beckham era, being a designated player has been something of an honor. They are the players whose salary and/or transfer fees necessitate a special exception to the MLS salary cap.
Despite the singular status it holds, there hasn’t been a clear one-stop shop for information about team’s DPs. Even on the league website (which now offers up each player’s roster distinctions), reported transfer fees and MLS Players Association-published salary figures aren’t given a mention. With absence comes opportunity, and we’re here to provide that information all in one spot.
A couple housekeeping notes: transfer fee numbers are rarely public. We’ve reported on a bunch of them, but not every single one. Due to a lack of transparency, this isn’t an exact science, but we feel it’s close enough and reported responsibly enough to share. Players’ salary totals are representative of the MLSPA’s information drop from October 18, 2023.
Finally, one category we use in our team-by-team tables is goals added, or g+. The metric was created by our friends American Soccer Analysis to provide an all-encompassing stat that measures a player’s total on-ball contribution in all phases. Every player’s every involvement is valued within six categories: shooting, receiving, passing, dribbling, interrupting, and fouling. It helps quantify for teams that use a DP slot on defenders and defensive midfielders.
We also pull our minutes totals from ASA to include stoppage time, and goals and assists are pulled from MLS’ website to include second assists.
Atlanta United
As long as Thiago Almada and Giorgios Giakoumakis are the starting point, Atlanta’s DP situation is great. Atlanta’s three DPs combined for the second most goal contributions (57) in the league this year.
Almada is likely to be best XI and was in the MVP conversation for much of the year. Giakoumakis is the favorite to win newcomer of the year. The pair complement and accentuate each other, as well. They’re a full attack all by themselves.
Saba Lobjanidze joined in the summer and immediately fit in with seven goal contributions in 503 minutes. The best part is he can be bought down if the club opts to add a young DP, or to preserve all three U-22 initiative slots in 2025 if Almada is still at the club and needs to be shifted to a senior DP spot.
Estimated transfer fees: $21.6m (Almada $16m, Giakoumakis $4m, Lobjanidze $1.6m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $5.6m
Total discretionary DP spend: $27.2m (second in MLS)
Austin FC
Sebastián Driussi didn’t follow up his stellar 2022 with the same box-score excellence this year (11 goals and five assists this year vs. 22 goals and seven assists last year), but remains an elite, foundational piece for the club.
Emiliano Rigoni, signed for $4 million in 2022, added some goal contributions in his first full season but has not lived up to expectation. At least the three DPs were generally healthy.
Major change is expected under new sporting director Rodolfo Borrell. Alex Ring is out of contract and was forced to spend most of his minutes at center back instead of his natural central midfield role.
Estimated transfer fees: $11m, plus up to $1.25m in GAM (Driussi $7m, Rigoni $4m, Ring $1.25m GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $9.7m
Total discretionary DP spend: $20.7 (12th in MLS)
Charlotte FC
Charlotte has three in-prime, attacking DPs who should theoretically all fit together, but rarely started all at once (just 10 of the 34 regular season games).
Karol Swiderski is the best of the bunch, with 12 goals and four assists despite being shifted to the wing more often than he’d like. Club-record signing Enzo Copetti didn’t have the year he hoped, with only six goals in league play.
Swiderski has made no secret about his desire to return to Europe one day in the near-ish future. If the offer is right this winter, he could go. Kamil Jozwiak simply has not been good enough to warrant the valuable DP tag. He could depart, as well.
Estimated transfer fees: $13.4m (Copetti $6m, Swiderski $5m, Jozwiak $2.4m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.6m
Total discretionary DP spend: $18m (13th in MLS)
Chicago Fire
This is absolutely the worst money-spent-for-production DP situation in the league. Torres — a supposed attacking player who signed for a $6 million transfer fee — has exactly zero goals and zero primary assists in 41 Chicago appearances across all competitions.
Shaqiri is a defensive liability who has not added anywhere near enough value going forward. He was signed for $7.5 million and has the third-most expensive salary in the league. On the g+ front, if they’d each played just one more half, Torres would rank 30th (just above Jozwiak) among wingers and Doumbia would be 16th among DMs (just below Wil Trapp).
It’s disastrous.
They’ll try again in the winter. If Doumbia’s loan is made a permanent transfer, he won’t have to be a DP next year, so they’ll have at least one spot open and as many as three if one or both of Torres and Shaqiri leave.
Estimated transfer fees: $13.5m (Shaqiri $7.5m, Torres $6m, Doumbia loan)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $10.2m
Total discretionary DP spend: $23.7m (third in MLS)
FC Cincinnati
Splits: Brenner: -0.87 g+ (1g, 0a) in 587 minutes; Boupendza: 1.17 (5g, 0a) in 669 minutes
Behind MVP favorite Lucho Acosta, FC Cincinnati won the Supporters’ Shield with a runaway regular season. Acosta, with 17g/14a, was incredible. He signed a new, long-term contract this summer so he isn’t going anywhere.
Obinna Nwobodo is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league, probably the best in defensive transition. Aaron Boupendza is still settling into the group after a midseason transfer, but had five goals in 669 minutes. Not bad.
Expect that MLSPA salary number to jump next year in accordance with Acosta’s new contract.
Estimated transfer fees: $13m (Boupendza $7m, Acosta $3m, Nwobodo $3m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.6m
Total discretionary DP spend: $17.6m (T-16th in MLS)
Colorado Rapids
A forgettable season in Colorado, the Rapids didn’t get much out of their DPs. All three debuted for the Rapids this year — Andreas Maxsø and Kevin Cabral came in the winter, while Rafael Navarro arrived in the summer.
The Galaxy is paying around half of Cabral’s salary, meaning the Rapids are only on the hook for something in the range of $900k. Colorado would double its discretionary DP spend if they trigger Navarro’s $4.5 million transfer option.
Estimated transfer fees: $800k plus $1m GAM (Navarro $500k loan fee, Maxsø $300k, Cabral $1m GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $3.6m
Total discretionary DP spend: $4.4m (28th in MLS)
Columbus Crew
Splits: Rossi: -0.04 g+ (3g, 3a,) in 855 minutes; Zelarayan: 1.24 g+ (10g/7a) in 1892 minutes
The Columbus Crew has an elite DP situation.
Cucho is a favorite for best XI this year, with 27 goal contributions in 2,628 minutes. He can be the best player on a championship team and the top dog on the league’s best attack. He’s also only 24-years-old, so he’ll either get to spend his prime leading this team or be transferred at a profit.
Diego Rossi replaced Lucas Zelarayan in the summer. Rossi, also in his early prime at 25, already has an MLS golden boot in his trophy cabinet. Darlington Nagbe (out of contract this winter) is a three-time MLS Cup winner with as many teams. That’s not a coincidence.
While the stats above include combined Rossi/Zelarayan numbers because they shared the DP spot this year and Rossi was a direct replacement, financial figures below just include Rossi (since a club cannot have four DPs).
Estimated transfer fees: $15.6m plus $1.05m GAM (Cucho $10m, Rossi $5.6m, Nagbe $1.05m GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $7.4m
Total discretionary DP spend: $23m (sixth in MLS)
D.C. United
Christian Benteke led the way for D.C. United in 2023 with 14 goals and four assists. His aerial dominance set the game model for Wayne Rooney’s D.C., though they fell just short of the playoff line.
Mateusz Klich had a solid debut season after arriving from Leeds United, with 4g/9a. Those numbers may go up if he’s put in a more advanced role in 2024, pending a new coach.
D.C. has an open DP spot because Taxi Fountas departed the club after a second investigation into an alleged racial slur in as many years. Figures below include Fountas before he was let go.
Estimated transfer fees: $3.9m (Benteke $3.5m, Fountas $400k, Klich free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $8.1m (Benteke $4.4m, Klich $2.1m, Fountas $1.6m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $12m (T-21st in MLS)
FC Dallas
Jesus Ferreira signed the first homegrown-to-DP contract in MLS history and led the team in goals again this year. His tally of 12 was less than hoped, but still solid. He has 30 goals over the last two seasons.
Club-record signing Alan Velasco was not a darling of g+ due to suspect passing in dangerous areas, but he is one of the most valuable players in the league. Injuries marred Paul Arriola’s year, limiting the winger to only two goals.
Estimated transfer fees: $7m plus $2m GAM (Velasco $7m, Arriola $2m GAM, Ferreira academy)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $5m
Total discretionary DP spend: $12m (T-21st in MLS)
Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo were among the best stories in MLS in 2023, led by a revival from Mexico international Hector Herrera. The Dynamo’s season was all the more impressive considering they got exactly zero goal contributions from club-record signing Sebas Ferreira.
Houston won games behind a dominant midfield, led by Herrera. Center back Teenage Hadebe was in and out of the lineup with injuries, but he performed capably when available, particularly in terms of clearing the ball and blocking shot attempts. He has lived up to his DP status by becoming something of a vocal leader within the locker room, too.
The Dynamo had the fourth-fewest minutes from DPs this year and still had an excellent season.
Estimated transfer fees: $5.8m (Ferreira $4m, Hadebe $1.8m Herrera free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $8.7m (Herrera $5.3m, Ferreira $2.1m, Hadebe $1.3m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $14.5m (18th in MLS)
Sporting KC
Sporting KC got zero minutes from Alan Pulido and Gadi Kinda in 2022 as they missed the playoffs. This year both returned, with particularly excellent form from Pulido, and they got into the playoffs on Decision Day.
Pulido had 14 goals, easily his best output since joining SKC in 2020. He signed a new contract this fall and will remain at the club for the foreseeable future. From a g+ standpoint, his dribbling and receiving left much to be desired. Undoubtedly, his biggest impact was his work in front of goal.
Erik Thommy, acquired in 2022, was quietly a very productive player with 5g/11a in 1,807 minutes.
Estimated transfer fees: $14m (Pulido $8m, Kinda $4m, Thommy free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.8m (Pulido $2.2m, Thommy $1.7m, Kinda $900k)
Total discretionary DP spend: $18.8m (11th in MLS)
LA Galaxy
The fourth most expensive group of DPs in MLS couldn’t push the LA Galaxy to the playoffs. Douglas Costa missed time over the first half of the season before Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez suffered a season-ending injury in the summer.
Riqui Puig, throughout it all, was one of the best players in MLS.
Costa has already been let go with his contract expiring. Chicharito is expected to depart next.
Still, the Galaxy trails only Atlanta in terms of their DPs’ cumulative g+. Similar to the Five Stripes, they have one DP who’s the best player at his position, one DP who performed comfortably above average (Costa, Giakoumakis), and a third who wasn’t a total liability in limited action. No team this year was rolling out three bonafide studs like Beckham/Donovan/Keane or Altidore/Bradley/Giovinco.
Estimated transfer fees: $9.5m (Chicharito $9.5m, Puig free, Costa free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $13.6m (Chicharito $7.4m, Costa $4.5m, Puig $1.7m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $23.1m (T-4th in MLS)
LAFC
With 20 goals in MLS this season, Denis Bouanga became the third LAFC player to win the golden boot (following teammate Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi). He also won the CONCACAF Champions League golden boot. It was a tour de force from the Gabon international.
Star winger and first-ever signing Carlos Vela remains a DP. While he didn’t have his best season, he was still productive and provided quality — particularly with Bouanga and others doing a whole lot of running around him.
Vela is out of contract this winter, however. Whether he comes back or not, LAFC can still add at least one more DP.
Estimated transfer fees: $10.8m (Vela $5.8m, Bouanga $5m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $6.9m (Vela $4.4m, Bouanga $2.5m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $17.7m (T-14th in MLS)
Inter Miami
The cumulative numbers from this season don’t matter, nor are they a great representation because they won the Leagues Cup.
Among players Opta categorized as strikers, Messi would have ranked sixth in g+ if he met the minutes threshold, trailing only Cucho, Brian White, Christian Benteke, Hany Mukhtar and Ryan Gauld. All of those players had at least 2,500 minutes. Messi had 409.
A cheat code all on his own, what will a full season of Messi in Miami look like? How will Sergio Busquets age?
Prior to Messi and Busquets joining, Leo Campana was listed as a DP (before being bought down) as well as Rodolfo Pizarro, who mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Messi’s league-high salary does the heavy lifting to make Miami’s discretionary DP spend the highest in MLS.
Estimated transfer fees: $4m (Gregore $4m, Messi free, Busquets free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $23.3m (Messi $20.5m, Busquets $1.8m, Gregore $1m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $27.3m (first in MLS)
Minnesota United
Minnesota tried again to get Emanuel Reynoso a running mate in attack and they seem to have gotten it right in Teemu Pukki, who had 10 goals in 1,105 minutes after joining in the summer. It wasn’t enough to qualify for the playoffs, though.
Mender Garcia can be bought down if the club wants to add another DP this winter. He hasn’t been an impact player as a starter, but did contribute value off the bench by getting open on the break.
With Reynoso missing most of the first three months, Pukki joining midseason and Garcia not being a first-choice starter, Minnesota had the fifth-fewest minutes from their DPs.
Prior to Pukki joining, Luis Amarilla was a DP for Minnesota. He was transferred to Liga MX’s Mazatlan.
Estimated transfer fees: $7m (Reynoso $5m, Garcia $2m, Pukki free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $6.2m (Pukki $3.6m, Reynoso $2.2m, Garcia $400k)
Total discretionary spend: $13.2m (20th in MLS)
CF Montreal
Victor Wanyama is the club’s lone DP. He was very available for trade all summer since his strengths don’t fit Hernan Losada’s system. Montréal missed the playoffs by two points.
Estimated transfer fees: $0
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $1.8m
Total discretionary spend: $1.8m (29th in MLS)
Nashville SC
Hany Mukhtar and Walker Zimmerman are the foundation for Nashville, one of the most successful DP duos in the league.
Mukhtar won the 2022 MLS MVP and was twice named to the best XI. Walker Zimmerman has won two defender of the year awards in Nashville and has three best XI appearances. It doesn’t get much better than that.
That third DP spot has been a rotating door. Sam Surridge is the latest to walk through and showed encouraging signs in the Leagues Cup, but didn’t really build on it down the stretch as the team struggled.
Estimated transfer fees: $9.4m plus $1.1m GAM (Surridge $6.4m, Mukhtar $3m, Zimmerman $1.1m GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $8.2m (Mukhtar $3.2m, Surridge $2.9m, Zimmerman $2.1m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $17.6m (T-16th in MLS)
New England Revolution
The nucleus of New England’s success in recent years has been DP production (and elite goalkeeping from Matt Turner, then Djordje Petrovic). Carles Gil is one of the best players in the league and has been so for a half-decade.
Gil had 11g/15a and was the constant in a turbulent season. Gustavo Bou was unavailable for long stretches but productive when on the pitch. Giacomo Vrioini struggled in his first full season.
Bou is out of contract this winter. If the Revs pick up Thomas Chancalay’s purchase option, he’ll need to be a DP.
Estimated transfer fees: $12.3m (Bou $6.5m, Vrioni $3.8m, Gil $2m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $8.2m (Gil $3.6m, Bou $2.7m, Vrioni $1.9m)
Total discretionary spend: $20.5m (10th in MLS)
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls spent a near-club-record $5.3 million fee to sign Dante Vanzeir this winter and his first season was one to forget. He played just 845 minutes, with a suspension for using a racial slur, injuries and bad form all contributing to the lack of minutes.
Luquinhas finished the season strong, but still had only seven goal contributions. Five of those came in the last five games.
Estimated transfer fees: $8.3m (Vanzeir $5.3m, Luquinhas $3m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $2.7m (Vanzeir $1.5m, Luquinhas $1.2m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $11m (23rd in MLS)
NYCFC
NYCFC’s two attacking DPs didn’t take the mantle from Maxi Moralez, with neither Talles Magno (4g/3a) nor Santi Rodriguez (5g/8a) taking a big step forward.
Magno was misused as a center forward for the first half of the year but didn’t rediscover his form when back at left wing. It was an odd season.
Transfer fees between CFG-owned clubs (Rodriguez, Martins) are shrouded in secrecy, but based on available reporting, the below figures represent as clear a picture as reasonably expected. Magno’s fee can rise to $12 million, including add-ons. No word on whether any have been triggered.
Estimated transfer fees: $16.7m (Magno $8m, Rodriguez $4.7m, Martins $4m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.6m (Martins $2.1m, Rodriguez $1.3m, Magno $1.2m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $21.3m (ninth in MLS)
Orlando City
Year two from Facundo Torres brought a big 14-goal tally (buoyed by five penalties) as he led the club to their best-ever point total. Martin Ojeda didn’t have a bad debut season, per se, but he wasn’t a full-time starter, either.
Ercan Kara lost his starting spot to Duncan McGuire and was transferred to Turkish side Samsunpor in September.
Estimated transfer fees: $14.9m (Torres $9m, Ojeda $5m, Kara $880k)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $2.8m (Kara $1.8m, Torres $1m, Ojeda $900k)
Total discretionary DP spend: $17.7m (T-14th in MLS)
Philadelphia Union
It was another extremely productive year for the Philadelphia Union’s primary attacking trio. The Union had the most combined goals and assists (58) from their DPs.
Julian Carranza and Daniel Gazdag each had 14 goals, though 11 of Gazdag’s were penalties (which does not help improve his g+ rating). Mikael Uhre, the club-record signing, hasn’t broken out yet. If Carranza departs this winter as expected, Uhre will need a big season in 2024.
For now? Another run at MLS Cup.
Estimated transfer fees: $3.6m (Uhre $2.8m, Gazdag $1.8m, Carranza $500k GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.3m (Uhre $1.9m, Gazdag $1.4m, Carranza $1m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $7.9m (26th in MLS)
Portland Timbers
Club-record signing Evander had a decent debut season and will look to build on that in 2024.
Yimmi Chara and Jaroslaw Niezgoda each had yet another frustrating, injury-riddled season. Expect a lot of change around Evander this winter.
Estimated transfer fees: $16.8m (Evander $10m, Niezgoda $3.8m, Chara $3m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $5m (Evander $2.2m, Chara $1.8m, Niezgoda $1m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $21.8m (seventh in MLS)
Real Salt Lake
Led by summer signing Chicho Arango, Real Salt Lake’s DP situation is a balance of old and new.
Arango had six goals in his first half season at the club. Jefferson Savarino was more of a mixed bag this season, even getting benched for a lack of defensive effort. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with him and 34-year-old Damir Kreilach this winter.
Though investment into the squad is significantly up from ownership, their DP spend isn’t into the top half of MLS (yet). The club-record $6 million fee for Arango was a great start, though.
Estimated transfer fees: $8.75m (Arango $6m, Savarino $2.5m, Kreilach $250k)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $5.6m (Arango $2.1m, Savarino $1.8m, Kreilach 1.7m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $14.4m (19th in MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes
As one of the lowest spending teams in the league, San Jose needs to be efficient. And the $2 million deal for Cristian Espinoza is exactly that.
Espinoza had a career year with 13g/13a, doing just enough to keep the Quakes above the playoff line. Carlos Gruezo is a midfield anchor and is regarded as one of the better defensive mids in the league, though g+ didn’t quite agree.
This isn’t a team that will go out and spend $15+ million in transfer fees on a No. 9 and No. 10 (like Atlanta and Columbus), or back up a Brinks truck for big free agents (like Toronto and Miami), but they can still be effective.
Estimated transfer fees: $5m + $250k GAM (Gruezo $3m, Espinoza $2m, Monteiro $250k GAM)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.2m (Gruezo $1.6m, Monteiro $1.3m, Espinoza $1.3m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $9.2m (25th in MLS)
Seattle Sounders
Nico Lodeiro (signed in 2016) and Raul Ruidiaz (2018) have been directly responsible for an incredible period of success for the Seattle Sounders. Albert Rusnak (2022) was instrumental in the Sounders becoming the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League.
Lodeiro is in the conversation for best signing in MLS history (not named Messi), the driving force behind two MLS Cup titles and that CCL run. It’s been a phenomenal era.
Lodeiro already announced that this postseason will be his last with the Sounders, with his contract expiring. Ruidiaz’s contract is also expiring and it’s assumed he’ll depart, as well.
The transfer fees for Lodeiro and Ruidiaz have paid for themselves several times over throughout the years.
Estimated transfer fees: $13m (Ruidiaz $7m, Lodeiro $6m, Rusnak free)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $8.4m (Lodeiro $3.3m, Ruidiaz $3.2m, Rusnak $1.9m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $21.4m (eighth in MLS)
St. Louis City
St. Louis City’s egalitarian ethos is their calling card, but their top-end talent is very strong. Joao Klauss and Eduard Lowen, DPs because of their transfer fees rather than their salaries, particularly drove this team forward early.
If Roman Burki was listed as a DP, St. Louis would have had the highest cumulative g+ from their DPs. Burki’s contract is max-TAM and the third spot is open, so he could have been a placeholder in that slot, but wasn’t.
Estimated transfer fees: $4m (Klauss $3m, Lowen $1m)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $2.7m (Klauss $1.4m, Lowen $1.3m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $6.7m (27th in MLS)
Toronto FC
Toronto endured a nightmare 2023, starting with (and in large part because of) their DPs.
Lorenzo Insigne (the league’s second highest paid player) and Federico Bernardeschi (fifth highest paid player) added minimal value on the field and a large part of the toxic culture off it, leading the way to campaign for Bob Bradley to be fired and not raising their levels once they got their wish.
Toronto gives Chicago a big challenge for the title of worst production for money spent, with north of $23 million in salary to be bottom of the league. Jonathan Osorio saves them from that ignominy.
Estimated transfer fees: $0 (Insigne free, Bernardeschi free, Osorio academy)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $23.1m (Insigne $15.4m, Bernardeschi $6.3m, Osorio $1.4m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $23.1m (T-4th in MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps
Ryan Gauld made a late charge to be on the MVP ballot, delivering his best season since joining Vancouver and leading the club to the playoffs.
Andres Cubas is among the very best defensive midfielders in the league, giving the DP portfolio a balanced positional spread. Having the 11th best combined g+ while getting little out of Sergio Cordova and being 24th in combined DP discretionary spend is a strong return.
Cordova, who never kept hold of a starting spot ahead of Brian White this year, was transferred to Alanyaspor in September. Canadian international Richie Laryea may become a DP next season if the club turns his loan to a permanent deal.
Estimated transfer fees: $5.8m (Cubas $3.25m, Cordova $2.2m, Gauld $350k)
Latest MLSPA salary figures: $4.8m (Gauld $2.5m, Cubas $1.2m, Cordova $1.1m)
Total discretionary DP spend: $10.6m (24th in MLS)
(Photo: Jeff Dean/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)