The DP Debate: More Really Worth It?

There’s been some discussion lately on adding a second or even a third Designated Player in Major League Soccer. The big debate is over whether or not the league really needs to move in that direction of adding a couple more high priced players when only a select number of clubs even use the DP slot to begin with.

Currently the DP rule is on it’s final days here as the trail run will expire at the end of the year. No doubt it will be apart of the new CBA that is under discussion right now.

Steve Davis has talked about it at length lately, which really got me thinking. Is adding another DP going to push the league into the big-markets verus small-markets? As Davis points out it won’t create a Major League Baseball feel to it where one or two clubs spend a load of money to win but it will slowly push the league down that kind of track.

As Davis points out LA, DC, New York, and Seattle are all leading the charge to add another DP slot to the rosters. I’d say you could probably throw in Toronto, Chicago and maybe Houston to those that are willing to get on board with this addition. That leaves Chivas, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, KC, New England, RSL, San Jose, and Philly. Chivas and Philly are border-line in my eyes here for the DP spending and the rest are either small-market clubs or owned by cheap folks that don’t wanna spend the dough on a big-name player.

I honestly don’t see adding another DP slot as a major issue right now. Currently the clubs that have spent money on a DP have either done well with it like Chicago’s case or done horribly with it like Dallas. Either way a majority of the league hasn’t used their slots and one club even traded away their slot.

So what do you think? Is adding another slot going to be worth it if only a select few even use it? Or should the league just stick with just one slot on each roster? Let’s hear it.