Given the salary cap restrictions of Major League Soccer, it is vital that teams maximise the effectiveness of their three Designated Player slots. These are the players that teams can pay as much as they want and take the maximum budget charge to squeeze them onto the roster. Given that you can only have three, it is important you make the most of them.
In MLS Cup last season, the five DPs were Nicolas Lodeiro, Raul Ruidiaz, Alejandro Pozuelo, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. These are some of the premier players in the league, elite members at their respective positions.