So says Michelle, but Schelotto won't be a designated player. They're looking at using allocations
to buy down his salary:
The good news for Schelotto fans: A new contract could be structured in a similar
fashion to Schelotto's deals in 2007 and 2008, with the Crew using allocation money and other
resources to "buy down" his salary and temper the hit to the Crew's salary budget.
Peter Wilt wrote an outstanding column on assembling and retaining a good team in Major League
Soccer-
MLS' strict salary budgets, weighted lotteries, drafts and allocations have made it a very
difficult league to stay near the top or the bottom of the standings for long stretches.
Incompetent, lazy or ignorant decision making can certainly make the latter an exception to the
rule, but staying on top requires the right combination of several factors including a little bit
of luck.
