MLS releases club roster profiles after 2025 compliance date
(image via Aldo Canale)
Major League Soccer today released club roster profiles for each of the 30 MLS clubs as of February 24. The club roster profiles show roster composition for MLS teams after the league’s Roster Compliance, which took place on Friday, February 21.
The Houston Dynamo have chosen the U22 Initiative Player Model which allows them to have two Designated Players and four U22 Initiative players, and gives the club additional General Allocation Money. The other option was the Three Designated Player Model which allows three DPs and three U22 players and no additional GAM.
Houston currently has Artur and Ezequiel Ponce as the club’s two Designated Players for roster and cap purposes. Ponce will remain a DP no matter what happens but the club can buy down Artur off a DP tag to allow them to bring in another Designated Player. Whether that happens this window or in the summer remains to be seen. The Dynamo’s four U22 slots are filled with Ibrahim Aliyu, Lawrence Ennali, Jack McGlynn, and Nelson Quinones.
The team does have one international roster slot available, as they currently are only using six. Erik Sviatchenko received a green card which removed him as an international. Sviatchenko, Amine Bassi, and Sebastian Kowalczyk are TAM players, cash used to buy these players salaries down to fit them within the salary cap.
Looking ahead, there are a few players who will be out of contract after this season. Franco Escobar, Gabe Segal, and Andrew Tarbell’s deals run out at the end of 2025. Artur, Aliyu, McGlynn, Quinones, Bassi, Kowalczyk, Ethan Bartlow, Griffin Dorsey, Michael Halliday, Nicolas Lodeiro, Daniel Steres, Junior Urso, Stephen Annor, Femi Awodesu, Erik Dueñas, Blake Gillingham, Brooklyn Raines, Sebastian Rodriguez, and Kieran Sargeant all have options for 2026.
With the ability to buy Artur down, the Dynamo still have the chance to buy a big name Designated Player. A number ten has been rumored for some time. If the Dynamo bring in a DP for a big fee or a big contract, he and Ponce will be locked in as DPs. Ponce’s contract runs through the summer of 2027.
