The Allocation Ranking List is comprised of players in the following categories:

Select U.S. Men’s National Team players.
Select elite U.S. Youth National Team players.
Players transferred outside of MLS garnering a transfer fee of at least $500,000 (USD).

The players who will be included on the Allocation Ranking List will be determined by Major League Soccer’s player personnel department and club technical staffs and will be updated once each year, during the time window between the end of the MLS regular season and MLS Cup. The Allocation Ranking List will only be updated during the season if an elite U.S. youth national team player turns 18 or graduates from the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, FL and is deemed eligible for the list. In addition, the Allocation Ranking List will be updated when a player is transferred out of MLS for more than $500,000.

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4. #2 USL/NASL player priorty ranking... What is this?

Same thing as allocation order, except used for players that are in the USL or NASL.

The MLS Re-Entry Draft is a massive form of waivers, allowing clubs the opportunity to claim other teams’ unwanted players. These players are still under option or contract by the league and must be allocated first through this process before being able to renegotiate their deals. Teams announce their list of waiver-eligible players at the end of the MLS season, setting up the pool of players for the draft. Players taken in the first stage of the draft keep their current salary figures (most teams pass in the first stage), while players chosen in the second stage can renegotiate with their new clubs.

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6. Discovery player ranking... what is this?

Clubs are allowed seven “discovery” slots to have some sort of claim on potential targets from other leagues that don’t fit the allocation process. Teams submit their list of “discovered” players in August/September. This ranking would be for the next season. Much like just about any asset in the league, the claims on these players can be traded, with other teams having to pay the club with the player’s claim $50,000 to jump their priority.

This post was edited on 10/30/16 at 9:33 pm