Very interesting! My last understanding was RSL was permanently down 2 spots and they were never given back - the senior international spot traded away in 2005 and a youth international spot (those were later converted to just international spots) that was sent in 2006 or 2007 to Chivas USA. Trey Fitzgerald at RSL would know instantly and could give the most accurate info.
Hey Kurt! So based on my research in 2024, RSL acquired two spots; the trade of Loffelsend netted them one, and then another trade with the Fire in September. In the May Roster Profile, they had 9 international spots and in September, they had 10 so it tracks out to the original 8 allocation.
I think I remember that Chivas move but thought that hey, with Chivas gone, that was returned. It’s a bit baffling that the league hasn’t come out and said hey, the spots have been returned imo
Fascinating. Yeah, they’ve routinely traded for international slots for a year long slot - but I don’t think they’ve ever gotten the permanent slot back. I think (though I could so be wrong) they’re still down those 2 slots on an annual basis but have typically been trading a player or GAM / TAM to acquire 1 or more back. So they’re still permanently down 2, the Chivas one didn’t default back to RSL when Chivas folded, but they often traded to get back to or above the typical 8.
But, like I said, I haven’t followed the most recent stuff and there have been no announcements from MLS or the club that I know of.
I thoroughly enjoy roster building stuff (my favorite part of sports) and so I really enjoyed the article!
Thanks for this. It is interesting that Onstad did not clarify that the problem was fixed -- and I've never seen anything saying it had been fixed. The ongoing assumption has been that Houston is still down an Int. slot. Hopefully someone will seek a clear statement from Onstad to just confirm what your research finds.
Very interesting! My last understanding was RSL was permanently down 2 spots and they were never given back - the senior international spot traded away in 2005 and a youth international spot (those were later converted to just international spots) that was sent in 2006 or 2007 to Chivas USA. Trey Fitzgerald at RSL would know instantly and could give the most accurate info.
Hey Kurt! So based on my research in 2024, RSL acquired two spots; the trade of Loffelsend netted them one, and then another trade with the Fire in September. In the May Roster Profile, they had 9 international spots and in September, they had 10 so it tracks out to the original 8 allocation.
I think I remember that Chivas move but thought that hey, with Chivas gone, that was returned. It’s a bit baffling that the league hasn’t come out and said hey, the spots have been returned imo
Fascinating. Yeah, they’ve routinely traded for international slots for a year long slot - but I don’t think they’ve ever gotten the permanent slot back. I think (though I could so be wrong) they’re still down those 2 slots on an annual basis but have typically been trading a player or GAM / TAM to acquire 1 or more back. So they’re still permanently down 2, the Chivas one didn’t default back to RSL when Chivas folded, but they often traded to get back to or above the typical 8.
But, like I said, I haven’t followed the most recent stuff and there have been no announcements from MLS or the club that I know of.
I thoroughly enjoy roster building stuff (my favorite part of sports) and so I really enjoyed the article!
Thanks for this. It is interesting that Onstad did not clarify that the problem was fixed -- and I've never seen anything saying it had been fixed. The ongoing assumption has been that Houston is still down an Int. slot. Hopefully someone will seek a clear statement from Onstad to just confirm what your research finds.