When Chivas USA ceased operations earlier this offseason, questions began circulating about what would become of the team’s current roster. With the new MLS team in Los Angeles, named Los Angeles FC, not joining the league until 2017, it wouldn’t be as simple as carrying over the roster. It was then announced that MLS would hold a dispersal draft on November 19. What is the dispersal draft and how does it work? We’ve got you covered in our continuing “MLS 101” series.
The first order of business in the dispersal draft is the player pool. All players on the Chivas roster that are under contract or have options for the 2015 season and beyond are eligible for the draft, except for one, which we will explain later. Once a player is drafted, the club that selected him assumes the player’s current contract and any other fees, loan obligations, or terms that may come with that player. Any players that are selected by current MLS teams are eligible to be picked by Orlando City SC or New York City FC in the upcoming expansion draft unless protected.
The one player not included in the pool is 21-year-old Mexico international Erick “Cubo” Torres. Arguably the most talented and promising prospect on Chivas USA’s roster, Torres tallied 15 goals in 29 appearances in 2014. Due to the fact the Torres was on loan from Chivas Guadalajara, and that MLS’ single-entity structure requires all player deals to be signed by the League Office (not individual teams), MLS is pursuing a long-term deal with the player to keep him in the league. As those negotiations remain on-going, the League has excluded the player from the Dispersal Draft
To determine the draft order, the League will hold a weighted draft depending on each MLS teams 2014 performance. A playoff team will receive one envelope in the draw, while non-playoff and expansion teams will receive two. The order will be decided on November 14th.
The Dispersal Draft will be conducted over a private teleconference. Each team will have one minute to make their selection or pass. The draft will conclude when all teams have passed on a selection.
Finally, as is common amongst teams, Chivas USA in previous years had traded future year draft picks as part of previous player transactions. Moving forward, the League announced that Chivas USA’s SuperDraft selections will be deleted, except for their upcoming 2015 2nd round selection traded to Columbus Crew which will remain.
Stay tuned for our next “MLS 101” series where we take a look at the history and function of the expansion draft.
