If you didn’t think that Inter Miami could pull off the Rodrigo De Paul signing, you haven’t been paying attention. In Major League Soccer’s long history, and Inter Miami’s short one, there has always been room for gaming the system.
We’re not talking breaking the rules as much as next-level creativity to dance around MLS salary cap regulations.
Miami used every ounce of cleverness to get De Paul in and, ultimately, they got their guy. Lionel Messi’s famous “bodyguard” has arrived in South Beach, giving Miami the bulldog in the midfield they so sorely lacked. He joins a Herons team filled with starpower, including the rest of the ex-Barcelona quartet and several other high-priced acquisitions made since Messi himself aligned himself with Inter Miami.
By strict interpretation of MLS rules, none of this, in theory, should be possible. Teams are limited in terms of salary spend and Designated Players. But Inter Miami have just added another World Cup winner to a roster that includes Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba. De Paul is a legitimately world-class midfielder.
So how in the world did the Miami land him while stilly complying with MLS rules?
The answer, again, is in large part, creativity. But Miami, as a club, also have a gravitational pull, and the Herons are using that magnetism to make moves other clubs could only dream of. They aren’t the first club to do it, either. Miami co-owner David Beckham, in many ways, started this trend and is now the one benefiting most from flexing big-market muscles.
Miami continue to flex. Having Messi in the squad allows you to do that.
Can everyone pull off what Miami just did? Perhaps not. Can other clubs in MLS find their own clever solutions? Of course. MLS roster building is a craft, and Miami should get credit for working the system to make another game-changing signing.
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Getty ImagesThe deal itself
Every team in MLS must be compliant with the league’s salary cap rules. It’s a complex system, one that features a variety of mechanisms for clubs to piece their squads together. Ultimately, at the very top, a team can have three Designated Players. Miami have Messi, Alba and Busquets.
So what happens when another DP-quality player wants in? Well, this. Everyone involved finds a way to make it work.
According to ESPN, it was De Paul, not Inter Miami, who made initial contact. Mulling over his future amid a likely Atletico Madrid exit, the Argentina international made contact with the Herons, expressing his interest in playing with his longtime Argentina teammate. Miami, of course, were interested, but would need to find a way to fit De Paul into the team.
Cue the creativity.
De Paul will not be a Designated Player this year, having signed on an initial loan deal from Atleti. To facilitate that, the club has triggered a one-year extension in his contract while giving Miami an optional purchase clause of around $17 million. According to GiveMeSport, the key word there is “optional.”
The fact that there is no guarantee means that De Paul can be paid a salary under the DP threshold, a massive paycut for the midfielder to take to play with Messi. He’ll almost certainly make good money on the backend when/if the deal becomes permanent. But, again, optional. If that does happen, De Paul will be able to slide into the DP spot that will open up when Busquets’ contract expires after this season.
“It’s a historic addition for this club – one more,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. “A world champion, he is in the prime of his abilities, and it shows the ambition of this club to continue to grow… I’m very happy with his addition, and I hope he helps us like we think he’s going to help us. And we wish him the best on this stage.”
That “help” didn’t arrive without a deep understanding of – and in some ways, manipulation of – the salary cap, and a strong desire between the parties. It’s the pull of Miami. And this wasn’t the first time the club took an ambitious swing.
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