saintnick912 said:
Is there somewhere with an up to date and easy explanation of the whole domestic/international and salary rules for MLS? I hear things like "trading for allocation pool" and it's really not something that I'm up on.
MLS has a zillion different player acquisition mechanisms, it's a bit ridiculous and overdue for reform, but the league has twisted itself up into knots to avoid anything that resembles free agency.
MLS teams start with eight international roster slots, but actual numbers by team vary because they are tradable. Players with a green card or asylum status count as domestic players due to US labor law. The Canadian MLS teams operate under the same rules (eight internationals), but for them both Canadian and US players count as domestic, as well as those with the Canadian equivalent of a green card.
"Allocation" can refer to various things.
The player allocation process is the mechanism by which returning US national team players come to the league. The allocation order is essentially the reverse standings of the previous season, so bad teams get the first crack. When Carlos Bocanegra signs with the league, the team at the top of the order can claim him, pass, or trade their slot to an interested party.
You also hear of "allocation money". This is a concept the league has created to give teams a little flexibility with the salary cap. Teams can use allocation money to "buy down" contracts and make less of a contract count against the cap. Teams get allocation money (or at least have in the past) for doing poorly the previous season. This is colloquially called the "You Suck" allocation. Lately, MLS has been giving teams participating in the CONCACAF Champions League allocation money to mitigate the depth issues caused by the extra travel and fixture congestion.
There are probably other ways in which allocation money is distributed, some of which I've forgotten and some of which the league has never made public. It's a rather opaque process and one for which the league receives some criticism, and rightfully so.
It's easier to just not pay attention to the details here...