<p>AUSTIN, Texas — Attacking midfielder Tomas Pochettino has signed with Austin as the Major League Soccer expansion club’s second designated player.</p>
<p>The Argentine transferred from Talleres, a Córdoba-based club in Argentina’s top division. </p>
<p>“He will offer us pace and versatility in the midfield and we are confident he will make an immediate impact on our attacking end," Austin coach Josh Wolff said Thursday.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old is the second South American to sign with Austin as a designated player, joining Decilio Dominguez, a Paraguayan national team forward who had been with Argentina’s Independiente. </p>
<p>The league’s designated player rule allows a club to sign up to three players whose salaries and acquisition costs may exceed the player’s salary budget charge maximum of $612,500 under the salary cap. Each team’s starting salary budget is $4.9 million this year, rising to $9,225,000 including general allocation money and targeted allocation money.</p>
<p>The MLS season starts April 17. </p>
