This post started as an exercise to see which current MLS players would be eligible for Free Agency following this season according to what we know of the recently ratified CBA. The new rules state that in order to be eligible as a Free Agent, the player must be at least 28 years of age and have a minimum of 8 years experience within MLS [EDIT: Players must also be below the max salary charge ($436,250)]. We will refer to this as the 28/8. If a player has reached that status, his salary will have a maximum raise limit, which is dependent upon their salary of the previous season.

If a 28/8 eligible player made less than $100,000 in the previous season then he has a capped increase of up to 25%. For players making between $100,000 - $200,000, they have a capped increase of up to 20%. Players who made greater than $200,000 have a capped increase of up to 15%. These potential salaries are included in the table, though they're highly speculative and merely a negotiation cap. Taking MLS rules as face value comes with an inherent risk.

In order to reach these salaries I took the 2015 salary, I applied the 25/20/15 capped increase, using the maximum each time, in order to achieve an approximate 2016 salary. This list does not take into account players who might still be under contract for 2016. That information is not available to the public, and so this list, while it contains all the players who would be eligible, does not mean every player included will be a Free Agent based on current contracts. We simply do not know at this time.

Chicago Fire

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Jon Busch 38 GK 15 $90,000 $112,500 Ty Harden 31 D 8 $75,075 $93,848 Jeff Larentowicz 31 D 11 $271,000 $311,650 Mike Magee 30 F 13 $467,500 $537,625 Patrick Nyarko 29 M/F 8 $125,500 $150,600

Colorado Rapids

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Marc Burch 30 D 10 $110,000 $132,000 Bobby Burling 30 D 9 $140,000 $168,000 Michael Harrington 29 D 9 $130,000 $156,000 Nick LaBrocca 30 M 9 $180,000 $216,000 Drew Moor 31 D 11 $270,500 $311,075 James Riley 31 D 11 $83,750 $104,688

Columbus Crew

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Kei Kamara 30 F 9 $536,667 $617,167 Tyson Wahl 31 D 10 $99,667 $124,583

DC United

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Davy Arnaud 34 M 14 $212,500 $244,375 Bobby Boswell 32 D 11 $200,000 $230,000 Fabian Espindola 29 F 9 $175,000 $210,000 Sean Franklin 29 D 8 $234,167 $269,292 Chris Rolfe 32 F 9 $225,000 $258,750

FC Dallas

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Atiba Harris 30 M 10 $130,000 $156,000 Stephen Keel 31 D 9 $60,000 $75,000 Dan Kennedy 32 GK 8 $233,000 $267,950 Chris Seitz 28 GK 9 $130,000 $156,000

Houston Dynamo

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Ricardo Clark 32 M 11 $337,750 $388,413 Brad Davis 33 M 14 $445,500 $512,325 David Horst 29 D 8 $81,500 $101,875 Nathan Sturgis 28 M 10 $75,375 $94,219

LA Galaxy

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Edson Buddle 33 F 14 $106,250 $127,500 Todd Dunivant 34 D 13 $205,750 $236,613 Dan Gargan 32 D 10 $125,000 $150,000 Alan Gordon 33 F 12 $175,000 $210,000 Robbie Rogers 28 D 8 $191,667 $230,000

Montreal Impact

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Kenny Cooper 30 F 9 $285,625 $328,469 Eric Kronberg 31 GK 10 $132,000 $158,400 Justin Mapp 30 M 14 $199,225 $239,070 Dominic Oduro 29 F 10 $251,667 $289,417

New England Revolution

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Brad Knighton 30 GK 8 $82,005 $102,506 Chris Tierney 29 D 8 $113,333 $136,000

New York City FC

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Mehdi Ballouchy 31 M 10 $83,250 $104,063 Ned Grabavoy 31 M 12 $215,000 $247,250 Jason Hernandez 31 D 11 $185,000 $222,000 Josh Saunders 34 GK 10 $90,000 $112,500 Chris Wingert 32 D 12 $215,000 $247,250

New York Red Bulls

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Dax McCarty 27 10 M $262,500 $301,875 Kyle Reynish 31 8 GK $90,317 $112,896

Orlando City SC

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Corey Ashe 29 D 9 $189,750 $227,700 Eric Avila 27^ M 8 $77,000 $96,250 Donovan Ricketts 37 GK 8 $260,000 $299,000

Philadelphia Union

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Brian Carroll 33 M 13 $150,000 $180,000 Conor Casey 33 F 9 $180,000 $216,000

Portland Timbers

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Nat Borchers 33 D 11 $245,000 $281,750 Jack Jewsbury 33 M/D 13 $137,500 $165,000 Will Johnson 28 M 9 $334,333 $384,483 Andrew Weber 31 GK 8 $60,000 $75,000

Real Salt Lake

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Kyle Beckerman 32 M 16 $700,000 $805,000 Tony Beltran 27 D 8 $205,950 $236,843 Javier Morales 35 M 9 $300,000 $345,000 Jamison Olave 33 D 8 $300,000 $345,000 Nick Rimando 35 GK 16 $370,000 $425,500

San Jose Earthquakes

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Steven Lenhart 28 F 8 $159,083 $190,900 Shea Salinas 28 M 8 $148,333 $178,000 Khari Stephenson 34 M 8 $71,646 $89,557 Chris Wondolowski 32 F 11 $675,000 $776,250 Marvell Wynne 28 D 10 $190,000 $228,000

Seattle Sounders

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Chad Barrett 29 F 11 $100,000 $120,000 Brad Evans 29 M/D 9 $302,666 $348,066 Chad Marshall 30 D 12 $291,667 $335,417 Troy Perkins 33 GK 10 $136,663 $163,995

Sporting Kansas City

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Chance Myers 27^ D 8 $195,000 $234,000 Paolo Nagamura 32 M 11 $230,000 $264,500 Jacob Peterson 29 F 10 $130,375 $156,450

Toronto FC

No current player qualifies for the 28/8 Free Agency.

Vancouver Whitecaps

Player Age Position Years in MLS 2015 Salary Max 2016 Projected Salary Jordan Harvey 31 D 10 $150,000 $180,000

^ Two players who are currently 27 would have 8 years of MLS experience following the 2015 season. When the cut-off for the 28/8 rule for when a player must be 28 years-old is currently unknown, so the players were included. I've included their birth dates below:

11/24/87 - Eric Avila

12/7/87 - Chance Myers

So there's the list, 66 players in all. It would be 67 if we included Eddie Johnson, but he has recently retired due to medical complications. Again, take the 2016 numbers loosely, while the 2015 salaries were pulled from here





For the Sounders specifically, there are some quality starters we would be missing with Evans and Marshall. And looking beyond to 2017, players like Osvaldo Alonso, Lamar Neagle, Stephen Frei, Zach Scott, Marco Pappa, and Leonardo Gonzalez would become eligible for the 28/8 rule. It's clear that, although the 28/8 might have been intended for a small percentage of players, it can change the landscape of MLS rosters in a short amount of time.