Sporting Kansas City will introduce the team’s new Designated Player in a press conference at 1:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The event will be streamed live and archived on the official YouTube channel of Sporting Kansas City (subscribe here).
A quote sheet will also be published on SportingKC.com, along with a photo album on the Sporting KC Facebook page. Follow @SportingKC on Twitter for live updates from LSP throughout the press conference.
Tuesday’s introduction will be Sporting Kansas City’s fourth Designated Player since the Major League Soccer roster distinction took effect prior to the 2007 season, joining Claudio Lopez, Omar Bravo and Jeferson.
Claudio Lopez (2008)
Argentine international played two seasons in Kansas City with 13 goals and 16 assists in 59 appearances (including playoffs).
Omar Bravo (2011)
Mexican National Team star contributed nine goals and two assists in 28 appearances (including playoffs) in 2011, earning MLS All-Star and FutbolMLS.com's Latino of the Year honors.
Jeferson (2011)
Brazilian midfielder appeared in 11 games (including playoffs) after signing during the summer transfer window and recorded the game-winning assist in his MLS debut.
The Designated Player Rule allows MLS clubs to acquire high-salary players and only have a portion of the player's salary count against the club's budget. In 2012, a Designated Player's salary budget charge ranged from $150,000 to $350,000 depending on the player's age. Clubs also have the option of "buying down" the budget charge of a Designated Player with allocation money, however the reduced charge may not be less than $150,000.
