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ESPN is reporting that Sporting Kansas City star, Benny Feilhaber, is about to re-sign with the club. This comes on the heels of yet another fantastic season from Feilhaber. Over the last two seasons Benny has bagged 17 goals in league play and added another 28 assists.
These are by far the most productive seasons of his career. Apparently Benny will be rewarded quite well for that production. ESPN is reporting he’ll make between $500,000 and $600,000 next season. That compares favorably for Benny to the $412,187.50 that he made for SKC in 2016.
The threshold for a Designated Player in 2016 was $457,500 (though it should rise against in 2017). That would mean Feilhaber would count as a DP on the surface, though things are never that easy in MLS. With complicated roster rules, Sporting KC could choose to buy down the contract with Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) or General Allocation Money (GAM).
Currently Sporting KC have three Designated Players, Graham Zusi, Roger Espinoza and Diego Rubio. Rubio still counts as a Young DP despite an error in the original article of him signing to the club after his loan was bought out. At some point Matt Besler’s deal must have been bought down since he was replaced by Espinoza as a DP.
Regardless of if he appears as a DP, Feilhaber will be 32-years-old by the start of the 2017 season. There is no indication how many years the deal is for, but you’d have to assume it’s at least a couple. If he can keep producing like he has, he has to be considered worth it.
The news of Benny likely coming back next year has to be a huge sigh of relief for concerned SKC fans. He played lights out in the loss to Seattle in the playoffs and really endeared himself to the fans with his play. If his deal is for two years, then he’d join the free agency class of 2018-2019 as he would have completed eight years of MLS service.
We’ll bring you more when the club makes it official and throughout the offseason as the moves really start to pick up for the next few weeks.
****UPDATE****
The Kansas City Star is now reporting that the deal is done, pending league approval. Exact details are not known but it keeps Benny in KC for two more years with a salary above the Designated Player threshold. However, he won’t technically be DP as Sporting KC will cash in some Garber Bucks to buy down his contract.