The Major League Soccer Inaugural Allocations were signed by the league beginning with
Tab Ramos
Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and current head coach of Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship.
Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, ...
on January 5, 1995.
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
then distributed to the ten initial teams prior to the beginning of the
inaugural 1996 season. Each team was
allocated four marquee players prior to the February
1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United State ...
.
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...
*
Marcelo Balboa
Marcelo Balboa (born August 8, 1967) is an American former professional soccer who played as a defender in the 1990s for the United States national team, becoming its captain. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
After retirin ...
*
Shaun Bartlett
Shaun Bartlett (born 31 October 1972) is a South African professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the manager of Cape Town Spurs F.C., Cape Town Spurs. During his playing career, h ...
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Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear (born July 26, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former player. On January 18, 2022, he was named an assistant coach by FC Cincinnati, his first coaching role since serving as the interim head coach of the LA Galaxy.
As a ...
*
Roy Wegerle
Roy Wegerle (born March 19, 1964) is a former United States men's national soccer team, United States international association football, soccer player who appeared for the national team 41 times between 1992 and 1998. Born and raised in South Afr ...
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...
*
Brian Bliss
Brian Boyer Bliss (born September 28, 1965) is a retired American soccer defender and front office executive. He also serves as an assistant coach for the United States U-20 national team.
Bliss played professionally in Europe and the United S ...
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Doctor Khumalo
Theophilus "Doctor" Doctorson Khumalo (born 26 June 1967), also known as Doctor Khumalo, is a South African former soccer player. He is best known for being a star midfielder for Kaizer Chiefs as well as the South African national team.
Care ...
*
Brian Maisonneuve
Brian Maisonneuve (born June 28, 1973 in Warren, Michigan) is an American retired soccer player and current coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He spent his entire professional career as a defensive midfielder with the Columbus Crew of Major L ...
*
Adrián Paz
Adrián Charquero Paz (born 9 September 1966) is a Uruguayan football coach and former professional footballer.
He played as a midfielder, notably in the Premier League for Ipswich Town who were his only team in European football. He also had no ...
Dallas Burn
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
*
Leonel Álvarez
*
Washington Rodríguez
*
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
*
Mark Santel
D.C. United
D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...
*
Jeff Agoos
Jeffrey Alan Agoos (born May 2, 1968) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos served as the Sporting Director for the N ...
*
Marco Etcheverry
Marco Antonio Etcheverry Vargas (born 26 September 1970) is a Bolivian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. A creative playmaker, he is considered one of the greatest Bolivian players of all time. Etcheverry played for D.C. U ...
*
John Harkes
John Andrew Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is the head coach of Greenville Triumph SC.
A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Harkes was the first American ever to play in the ...
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Juan Berthy Suárez
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
Kansas City Wiz
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the we ...
*
Frank Klopas
Fotios "Frank" Klopas ( el, Φώτιος «Φρανκ» Κλόπας; born September 1, 1966) is an American former Association football, football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Following his retirement, he ser ...
*
Preki
Predrag Radosavljević ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг Радосављевић; born June 24, 1963), better known by the nickname Preki (), is a Serbian-American former soccer player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach with Seattle Sounde ...
*
Mike Sorber
Michael Steven Sorber (born May 14, 1971) is an American soccer coach and former player. He currently serves as assistant head coach for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer. He played professionally in the United States and Mexico and was a mem ...
*
Vitalis Takawira
Vitalis "Digital" Takawira (born September 24, 1972 in Salisbury) is a retired Zimbabwean football player. He has played forward and attacking midfield professionally in Zimbabwe, Switzerland and the United States, as well as for the Zimbabwe n ...
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
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Dan Calichman
Daniel Jacob Calichman (born February 21, 1968) is an American soccer coach and retired player. He played as a defender and is an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy.
Playing career College
Calichman played college soccer at W ...
*
Jorge Campos
Jorge Campos Navarrete (born 15 October 1966) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
A notable player of Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campos was an eccentric player, known for his constant play outside ...
*
Mauricio Cienfuegos
José Mauricio Cienfuegos (born 12 February 1968) is a Salvadoran former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Club career
Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior. He played the next two seaso ...
*
Eduardo Hurtado
Eduardo Estíguar Hurtado Roa (born 2 December 1969) is an Ecuadorian former footballer who played as a striker. He has the record of being the 3rd all-time leading scorer for the Ecuador national football team with 26 goals in 74 caps. He h ...
NY/NJ MetroStars
*
Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni (; born 9 September 1963) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder.
Donadoni was capable of playing on either flank, or in the centre. He began his career with Atalanta, and he later became a pillar of the powerhous ...
*
Tony Meola
Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola (; ; born February 21, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the United States national team at the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. From 1996 to 2006, he p ...
*
Tab Ramos
Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and current head coach of Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship.
Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, ...
*
Damian Silvera
Damian Troy Silvera (July 27, 1974 – June 14, 2010) was an American soccer player who was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic soccer team. He also spent a season and a half in Major League Soccer.
Youth and college
Silvera grew up in Huntingt ...
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
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Mike Burns
*
Giuseppe Galderisi
Giuseppe Galderisi (; born 22 March 1963) is an Italian football manager and a former footballer who played as a forward, most recently in charge as head coach of Serie C club Mantova.
Club career
At club level, Galderisi played for several ...
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Alexi Lalas
Panayotis Alexander "Alexi" Lalas ( el, Αλέξης Λάλας; born June 1, 1970) is an American retired soccer player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his participation with the United States men's national soccer te ...
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Jim St. Andre
Jim St. Andre is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper. He played professionally in the American Professional Soccer League, National Professional Soccer League and Major League Soccer.
College
St. Andre attended college and played men's soccer at t ...
San Jose Clash
*
John Doyle
*
Michael Emenalo
*
Ben Iroha
*
Eric Wynalda
Eric Boswell Wynalda (born June 9, 1969) is an American soccer coach, television commentator, and retired player. He was formerly an analyst and color commentator for soccer coverage on Fox Sports 1 and ESPN. Previously, he served as head coach ...
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.
The ...
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Cle Kooiman
Christopher Clemence "Cle" Kooiman (born July 3, 1963) is an American former soccer defender. He played professionally in both Mexico and the United States including the first Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance, American Profess ...
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Roy Lassiter
Roy Lee Lassiter (born March 9, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He played the first few years of his professional career in Costa Rica. He returned to the United States to play in Major League Soc ...
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Carlos Valderrama
Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio (Colombian Spanish: ; born 2 September 1961), also known as ''El Pibe'' ("The Kid"), is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera, who played as an attacking mid ...
*
Martín Vásquez
Martín Vásquez Gómez (born December 24, 1963) is an American former professional soccer player. The first of five players to have played for both the United States and Mexico, he has served as a coach since retiring.
Playing career Youth a ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996 Mls Inaugural Allocations
Major League Soccer drafts