Re- Entry Draft- Izzle

What do most MLS fans and Snoop Dogg have in common? They both probably don’t care at tall about the 2011 MLS Re- Entry Draft, which will take place tomorrow. Added in the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players’ union and the league as a way to ensure job security, the Draft is now it its second year. Most still haven’t noticed. But, hey, it’s the offseason, and I don’t have much else to talk about, so I’ll do my little preview now. Here’s how the Re- Entry Draft goes:

1. A player doesn’t do well for a number of years, giving his team no reason to re-sign him at the end of his contract
2. The player curses the gods for making him so terrible
3. The team waves the player’s rights, and they become eligible for the Re- Entry draft
4. The player sobs
5. Teams select eligible players in the reverse order of how they finished standings-wise in 2011. Teams can pick players who fall into one of three categories:
- Players who are at least 23 years old and have a minimum of three years of MLS experience whose options were not exercised by their clubs (available at option salary for 2012).
-Players who are at least 25 years old with a minimum of four years of MLS experience who are out of contract and whose club does not offer them a contract at their previous salary (available at 2011 salary).
Players who are at least 30 years old with a minimum of eight years of MLS experience who are out of contract and whose club does not wish to re-sign them (available for at least 105 percent of their 2011 salary)
6. The selected players praise god for their new lease on employment and life, then hitch up the old wagon and move out to their new club
7. Left over players become eligible for selection in the second round of the draft, taking place on December 12th, where clubs will be able to negotiate any salary with the selected player

Note that teams can also choose to pass and not take anyone, which really just sucks for the guys who don’t get selected. Really, a team would rather take nobody than add you to their roster? You may want to start gauging your interest in plumbing or real estate brokerage.

Oh, I kid. The list of players is available here on the MLS website. I tried to put it in here directly, but that turned out to be way more work than they pay me for. And they don’t pay me at all.

I was, however, more successful in uploading an image of the order in which teams will select. Sure, I already told you that it’s the reverse order that they finished in 2011 with Montreal last, but this will definitely make for great space filler:

So, what to expect from the draft? Surprise: not a lot. With all due respect to the guys on this list, who I’m sure are all far better at soccer than I could ever hope to be, I don’t think any of them are going to make miraculous comebacks. Many are past their prime, and while others simply may not have been on a team that was a good fit, none of the young names names really stand out as a player who I expected much of but was disappointed by in 2011. I definitely get why this Draft has to happen , as it gives players job security, blah blah blah, and there’s no reason to hate on it. Let’s just be thankful for the fact that there’s any MLS news to be checking out in this dreary offseason that doesn’t involve the Galaxy beating up developing Asian nations.

And away we go.

Category: MLS