LOS ANGELES — One of the biggest storylines from the first day of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Friday didn't necessarily have to do with the players in attendance. For the first time in league history, monetary amounts in trades involving allocation money were publically disclosed.
Prior to Friday, MLS had not done this. The figures exchanged between clubs had remained confidential.
The Seattle Sounders traded their 16th pick to New York City FC in exchange for $75,000 in General Allocation Money, an amount made public as a direct result of the new policy on transparency.
“NYCFC showed up over my shoulder, and I didn’t see them at first,” Sounders General Manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey said. “Then they offered me a bunch of money.”
The Sounders and New York City FC had not discussed a trade ahead of time, so Lagerwey said the offer came as a surprise. The Sounders felt the value of the offer relative to the talent available on the draft board was favorable and decided to sell.
There was a total of $550,000 worth of allocation money exchanged during the first two rounds of the draft. NYCFC were the biggest spenders, shelling out $325,000 combined between the Sounders and the Chicago Fire.
The Sounders selected Stanford defender Brian Nana-Sinkam with the 22nd and final pick of the first round before drafting youth international Dominic Oduro at No. 44, the last pick of the day. Rounds three and four of the draft will resume via a conference call on Tuesday.
