GAM & TAM TRANSACTIONS
Verified allocation money transactions from official Austin FC sources
2026 ALLOCATION POSITION (Calculated)
$4.72M
After cap compliance
Source: Matthew Doyle analysis + Austin FC press releases + MLS CBA rules.
VERIFIED TRANSACTIONS
GAM sent (2027) to Vancouver in Jayden Nelson trade
GAM received (2027) from CF Montréal in Dani Pereira trade
Conditional GAM (2027) to Inter Miami in Robert Taylor trade
+ up to $3.10M conditional
Cash received from Sporting Kansas City in Owen Wolff trade
Sporting KC announced this as a cash trade, so the $4.5M goes to ownership rather than the GAM pool. Wolff also vacates a U22 Initiative slot and $200K of budget charge. Wolff signed through June 2031 with Sporting KC.
View Source Article+ up to $1.23M conditional
Transfer fee received from Bolton Wanderers for Jayden Nelson
Outbound international sales can generate GAM, but only on a gain. Nelson cost $1.25M in GAM in December 2025 and the guaranteed fee is $1.1M, so this is booked at $0 GAM - the same treatment as the Osman Bukari sale. Conditionals (up to $2.325M total) could flip that. Austin still owes Vancouver $550K in 2027 GAM from the original acquisition.
View Source Article+ up to $250K conditional
GAM received (2026) from CF Montréal in Dani Pereira trade
Also receives $700K in 2027 GAM. Austin retains a sell-on percentage on any future transfer.
View Source ArticleGAM received from Real Salt Lake in exchange for a 2026 international roster slot
Press release: Austin regains the international roster slot "at the conclusion of the 2026 season", so the slot is out for the rest of 2026.
View Source Article2026 TAM buydowns (ESTIMATE)
TAM used first (use-it-or-lose-it), then GAM for remainder
2026 GAM buydowns (ESTIMATE)
GAM supplements TAM for cap compliance
GAM sent (2026) to Inter Miami in Robert Taylor trade
GAM sent (2026) to Vancouver in Jayden Nelson trade
Also sent $550K in 2027 GAM and 2026 MLS SuperDraft First Round pick. Vancouver retains sell-on percentage.
View Source ArticleGAM received from LA Galaxy in exchange for 2026 international roster slot
ALLOCATION BY YEAR
2027
2026
LEGEND
KEY ASSUMPTIONS & RULES
TAM is use-it-or-lose-it, so teams exhaust TAM before using GAM for cap compliance
Unused GAM carries to next season (as of 1/14/25). Save GAM for trades!
Only used for salary buydowns. Expires each year if not used.
$1.53M (2021) → $3.28M (2026) → $3.92M (2027)
$2.80M (2021) → $2.13M (2026) → $2.03M (2027)
Total budget charge must be ≤ salary budget. Use TAM/GAM to buy down the difference.
MLS ALLOCATION PROGRESSION (CBA 2021-2028)
| Year | GAM | TAM | Total | Max Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | $3.92M | $2.02M | $5.95M | $883K |
| 2026 CURRENT | $3.28M | $2.13M | $5.41M | $803K |
| 2025 | $2.93M | $2.23M | $5.16M | $744K |
| 2024 | $2.58M | $2.40M | $4.99M | $684K |
| 2023 | $1.90M | $2.72M | $4.62M | $651K |
| 2022 | $1.63M | $2.80M | $4.42M | $613K |
| 2021 | $1.52M | $2.80M | $4.33M | $613K |
GAM increases each year while TAM decreases per CBA (Feb 2021 - Jan 2028). GAM no longer expires as of 1/14/25.