Major League Soccer teams will be allowed to sign high-profile players such as David Beckham, Ronaldo or Luis Figo after club owners Saturday approved a change to salary-cap regulations.
The "Beckham Rule" will give MLS teams the authority to acquire players outside the $2 million-per-team salary cap, which will be "significantly" increased to accommodate the new policy, MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis said.
MLS, which for 11 years has paid all players out of a central fund, will be responsible for up to $400,000 of the player's salary, but the rest will paid for by the team.
Each team initially will receive one "designated player" roster slot, which can be traded among teams. No team, however, will be allowed more than two designated players.
"We believe this league has established a solid foundation over 11 years," MLS commissioner Don Garber said. "Now it's time to refocus our efforts to make our games more exciting than they already are."
The decision in Frisco, Texas, comes a day before the league's MLS Cup championship between the New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo and a day after the MLS announced a rule change that will allow teams to sign players out of their own youth development systems without subjecting them to the draft.
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