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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ City SC has opted to change its roster construction model, switching from the format that would allow it to have three designated players to one that limits it to two — but opens two spots for players aged 22 and younger.

Starting last season, MLS teams had to commit either to having three designated players (players whose salaries can far exceed the salary cap) and three players in the league’s U22 Initiative, or two DPs and four under-22 players. City SC chose the three DP model for last season but in the league roster profiles released Thursday, has switched.

In order to do that, the team had to buy down the salary-cap hit of goalkeeper Roman Burki so he was no longer a designated player, leaving Klauss and Marcel Hartel as the team’s two DPs. While the amount of money Burki makes hasn’t changed, how much he counts against the salary cap has, and he is now what is called a TAM player, short for targeted allocation money, money given by the league to teams for purposes like this.

By opting for the U22 model, the team also receives up to $2 million in general allocation money, which has to be used this season by the roster freeze date. The club can change back to the three DP model during the summer transfer window, provided it has used $1 million or less of additional GAM and has no more than three U22 Initiative players on the roster.

City SC is sitting on one of the largest piles of GAM in the league, which will give sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel lots to work with for adding to the roster.

City SC currently has two U22 Initiative players on the its roster: midfielders Chris Durkin and Jake Girdwood-Reich. Under the U22 Initiative, eligible players have a reduced salary-cap hit. So while Durkin makes $495,000 a season, he counts only $200,000 against the cap. The provision is designed to bring more young players into the league and keep them longer. Durkin was playing in Belgium at the time he signed his U22 Initiative contract with D.C. United and said it was the main reason why he opted to return to MLS, because the team was able to offer him a larger salary than it could have had it all counted against the cap.

The roster profile also shows that City SC has classified two of its Homegrown players, Mykhi Joyner and Tyson Pearce, as non-roster players, which opens up two spots on the 31-man roster. As non-roster players, Joyner and Pearce can play in MLS matches this season only as short-term call-ups, and then only six times. They can play an unlimited number of matches in other competitions, which for City SC this season is limited to the U.S. Open Cup.

Draft picks sign City2 contracts

Forward Emil Jaaskelainen and goalkeeper Colin Welsh, City SC’s first- and third-round draft picks, respectively, signed contracts with City2. Both are signed for the 2025 season with club options for 2026. Jaaskelainen, who is Finnish but was born and raised in Great Britain, still has to get a work visa to be eligible to play.

The club’s second-round pick, Joey Zalinsky, signed a first-team contract with City SC.

City2’s season begins March 9 with a match against North Texas SC in Arlington, Texas. Its home opener is March 23 against Sporting Kansas City II at Energizer Park.