Toronto FC and Mario Balotelli: That precious DP slot

Toronto FC have been named as an interested club in Mario Balotelli. But with likely only one Designated Player slot available next season, why would they take such a risk on a player extremely comparable to another DP?

As Major League Soccer continues to expand and grow, both domestically and internationally, the spending power of the teams blossoms with it. Whereas in the mid-00s, MLS teams could never match the high-end wages of other clubs from across the world, as we have seen aplenty over the past decade, there is more money in North American football to rival other teams from across the globe.

It was this development in investment that led to the league introducing the Designated Player rule. The Los Angeles Galaxy signing David Beckham for big bucks forced the league’s hand, if they wanted to persist with the salary cap.

The DP rule has changed how teams have assembled their squad since its inception. Because each club can only have up to three, it has become increasingly important the high-end investments produce as they are paid to. You cannot afford to waste a precious DP slot.

The best teams in MLS tend to be those that have made the most of their DPs. Los Angeles FC have Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi, Atlanta United have Jozy Martinez, Gonzalo Martinez and Ezequiel Barco, while New York City FC have Maxi Moralez, and MLS Cup winners, the Seattle Sounders, have Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz.

One team that has mastered the DP system in recent years has been Toronto FC. The Reds signed Michael Bradley in 2014 before adding Jozy Altidore a year later. The two have been DPs ever since. They have also been two of the premier players in MLS. Sebastian Giovinco was also a DP, while he ripped through the rest of a hopeless league, while Alejandro Pozuelo brilliantly replaced him last season, top scoring and assisting for his team.

During this span, Toronto FC have been one of the most successful teams in MLS. The best season in MLS history in 2017, including a Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup, three MLS Cup appearances in all, a CONCACAF Champions League final appearance, three successive Canadian Championships from 2016 to 2018.

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This week, Toronto FC were named as a potential suitor for Mario Balotelli, who is reportedly interested in an MLS move with his hometown return to Brescia in Italy not running smoothly. Now, Balotelli would be a massive name to bring to BMO Field, someone who would sell shirts and pack the stadium. But he would also fill a DP slot, and it is fair to question whether he would be a wise investment with that third slot.

Bradley is presently not returning to Toronto, although contract negotiations are ongoing, while Altidore and Pozuelo are set to return. But where Bradley is a completely different player to eithet Altidore or Pozuelo and offers a unique service to the team, Balotelli is a very comparable player to Altidore, a bruising, powerful, back-to-goal centre-forward.

Why use that precious third DP slot on a player who offers little different to what you already have? And that is not to mention all of the off-field, personality baggage that Balotelli brings with him. It is a wasted investment.

Whether Balotelli ends up in Toronto — or MLS more generally — remains to be seen. But what any team should recognise before they invest in the Italian is the importance of those three DP slots. You have to make the most of them, and Balotelli is not necessarily doing that.