Toronto FC struck a deal with Seattle on Tuesday, sending the Sounders an international roster spot while shuffling allocation money.
In a trade rife with MLS-ese, Toronto also acquired general allocation money from Seattle in exchange for targeted allocation money. Both are used to pay player salaries but come with restrictions.
Essentially the deal gives both teams flexibility to make moves down the line while helping Toronto clean up its current salary situation.
Targeted allocation money, which was introduced last year, is a fund intended to allow teams to sign talent just below the level of designated player without giving them the label of DP. it's essentially another way to sign players above the maximum cap hit of US$457,500.
It can also be used to converted a designated player into a non-designated player.
Teams get $100,000 a year in TAM over the next five years as well as $800,000 in 2016.
General allocation money also comes with rules but fewer of them. Teams can use it to pay down the salary hit of any player. For example, a team could use $200,000 in general allocation money to turn a player salary of $300,000 into a salary cap hit of $100,000.
Toronto FC GM Tim Bezbatchenko, while restricted by league rules on disclosure of allocation money specifics, said the transaction with Seattle gives his team more options. It allows TFC to be salary compliant while positioning the team to have flexibility down the road.
As for trading the international spot, that leaves Toronto with seven. It currently is only using five on Italy's Sebastian Giovinco, Japan's Tsubasa Endoh and France's Benoit Cheyrou, Damien Perquis and Clement Simonin.
Seattle had run out of international spots at signing St. Vincent & the Grenadines forward Oalex Anderson last week. It may also be looking to add another elite player in the wake of the departure of DP forward Obafemi Martins.
Bezbatchenko, meanwhile, said the club is not looking at this time to add to its strike force despite the departure of reserve forwards Luke Moore and Herculez Gomez.
"The first eight games for us is more about being sound defensively," he said, referencing the team's lengthy opening road trip due to ongoing renovations at BMO Field. "We do think we have weapons offensively.
"Do we have the necessary depth? Perhaps not as much as in the defence now in terms of number of bodies but we do think we have people who can score. Certainly once we get Jozy (Altidore) back which we expect is not going to be a longterm situation.
"So I don't think anything is imminent but certainly we're looking there."
Altidore missed the opening game of the season with a hamstring issue.
In other news, former Toronto FC goalkeeper Chris Konopka has signed with Scotland's Ross County, according to the Inverness Courier. The club has looking for help in goal ahead of its League Cup final with Hibernian with No 1 'keeper Scott Fox out with a knee injury.
