The salary cap gets all the attention, but among the limitations the Portland Timbers must navigate as they finalize their 2016 roster are the constraints imposed by MLS’s complex roster structure.
All told, MLS team can have 28 players on their roster.
Of those 28 roster slots, 20 roster spots are on the "senior roster" that counts against the salary cap which, with the 7% annual increase agreed upon on last year’s collective bargaining agreement, should be approximately $3,735,000.
The remaining 8 spots are on the "supplemental roster," which consists of all Generation adidas players, up to four players who, according to MLS’s Roster Rules, "will earn at least $60,000," and up to four players who "will earn at least $50,000.