Existing teams were allowed to protect 11 players from their rosters. Generation Adidas players were automatically protected, though players who graduated from the program to the senior roster at the end of the 2011 season were not.
Homegrown players on the team's off-budget roster were automatically protected and did not count against each team's 11 protected roster spots.
Designated players only had to be protected if they had a no-trade clause.
Existing clubs had to submit their protected rosters to MLS by November 21, 2011. The protected rosters were made public later that day.
