D.C. United left some notable contributors unprotected today, but Austin FC looked elsewhere during the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft today. Despite having to make nine players available for MLS’s newest club, the Black-and-Red could breathe a sigh of relief.
The reality is that expansion drafts are inherently bad for existing clubs, and the way MLS implements them is a particular sticking point. Aside from the obvious issue with having one team totally control a transaction, the five teams that lost players to Austin today receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money from MLS, which is safely below the trade market value of any player selected.