ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis City SC announced Tuesday they have traded midfielder Aziel Jackson to the Columbus Crew for General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2024 and 2025.
City will receive $325,000 of GAM
"We want to thank AZ for his time and contribution to our team as he played a key part in our successful inaugural season," said City SC Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel. "This is a mutually beneficial trade that provides us flexibility to potentially strengthen the roster in the summer, while giving AZ a fresh start in Columbus."
General Allocation Money is a big part of Major League Soccer as it lets club "buy down" a player's Salary Budget Charge as part of managing their roster, including buying down a Salary Budget Charge below the 2024 league maximum of $683,750.
GAM can also be applied in the following circumstances:
1. To sign players new to MLS or a player who did not play in MLS during the previous season.
2. To re-sign an existing MLS player.
3. To offset acquisition costs like loan and transfer fees.
4. In connection with the extension of a player's contract for the second year provided the player was new to MLS in the immediately prior year.
5. To reduce a player's Salary Budget Charge to the lesser of 50% of the Salary Budget Charge or $150,000.
Jackson joined City SC in 2023 in trade from Minnesota United and got his first chance of MLS play with St. Louis, appearing in 25 matches his first season with City SC, scoring a goal and assisting on four. Jackson has played in 16 games this season for City SC, starting eight of them and only had an assist this season with City SC.
During his time with City SC, Jackson was able to receive a callup to the US Men's National Team Winter Camp in January 2024.