joins his club in the middle of the season, in which case his budget charge will be $175,000. Designated Players 21–23 years old count as $200,000 against the club's salary budget. Designated Players 20 years old or younger count as $150,000 against the club's salary budget. The budget charge for the midseason signing of a young Designated Player (23 years old and younger) is $150,000 and this amount cannot be lowered with allocation funds. Clubs will not have to buy the third DP roster slot to accommodate Designated Players 23 years old and younger. Age of player is determined by year (not date) of birth. The maximum budget charge for Designated Players over age 23 was increased to $368,750 for 2013, $387,500 in 2014, $436,250 in 2015, $457,500 in 2016, and $480,625 in 2017. The budget charge for those who join during the midseason transfer window has remained at one-half of the full-season cap charge since the inception of the rule. The budget charges for younger players have not changed since 2012. Background The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players of Beckham's caliber. Beckham was the first player to be signed under this rule, signing a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth up to $250 million over five years, with direct guaranteed compensation from MLS and Galaxy at $6.5 million a year. Current Designated Players Notes Chart indicates when players signed their current Designated Player contract, not necessarily their first year in MLS. Other players in MLS may also be paid a salary that takes them above the Designated Player threshold, but they have had their salary reduced against the salary cap using General or Targeted Allocation Money. Player salaries may be below the Designated Player threshold, but their transfer fee might mean the total compensation takes them above the threshold. Player salaries include compensation from their MLS contract, not including any bonuses or compensation from contracts with individual teams or their affiliates. Club DP history Notes The below list indicates players who have had their contract assigned as a Designated Player (DP) contract during their time in MLS. Players may have not always have had a DP contract, or have later had their contract negotiated below a DP level. Similarly, some players have been in MLS whose salary has been at a DP level,