The Major League Soccer Player’s Union released their annual salary list today, and it reveals the base pay of all the players on every club, as well as what a player is offered in annual average guaranteed compensation, which includes a player's base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player's contract, including option years. Note: For example, if a player has a base salary of $50,000, has a two-year contract with two one-year options and received a $10,000 bonus when he signed, his average annual guaranteed compensation would be $52,500 (base salary plus signing bonus ($10,000), with the signing bonus divided by the number of years covered by the contract (4)). LA Albright Chris M-D $ 142,500.00 $ 142,500.00 LA Beckham David M $ 5,500,000.08 $ 6,500,000.04 LA Cannon Joe GK $ 192,000.00 $ 192,000.00 LA Cronin Steve GK $ 34,728.75 $ 42,228.75 LA Donovan Landon F $ 900,000.00 $ 900,000.00 LA Findley Robert F $ 36,000.00 $ 48,500.00 LA Friesz Lance GK $ 12,900.00 $ 12,900.00 LA Glinton Gavin F $ 50,000.00 $ 50,000.00 LA Gordon Alan F $ 30,870.00 $ 30,870.00 LA Harden Ty D $ 17,700.00 $ 17,700.00 LA Harmse Kevin M $ 40,800.00 $ 40,800.00 LA Jaqua Nate F $ 112,500.00 $ 119,525.00 LA Jazic Ante D-M $ 108,000.00 $ 114,250.00 LA Jones Cobi M $ 95,000.00 $ 95,000.00 LA Kirk Quavas F $ 75,000.00 $ 111,500.00 LA Marshall Tyrone D $ 142,000.00 $ 149,500.00 LA Martino Kyle M $ 52,500.00 $ 55,297.27 LA Quaranta Santino F $ 100,000.00 $ 105,312.50 LA Randolph Michael D $ 17,700.00 $ 17,700.00 LA Roberts Troy D $ 30,000.00 $ 30,000.00 LA Russell Ian M $ 47,040.00 $ 48,040.00 LA Sturgis Nathan M $ 70,000.00 $ 103,000.00 LA Thomas Shavar D $ 70,000.00 $ 73,750.00 * Traded to Chivas USA LA Tudela Josh M $ 30,000.00 $ 30,000.00 LA Vagenas Peter M $ 131,250.00 $ 131,875.00 LA Veris Kyle D $ 17,700.00 $ 17,700.00 Link: http://www.losangelessoccernews.com/article.php?article_id=1479 Link to see the entire payroll of all MLS players: http://www.mlsplayers.org/salary_info.html
LA Friesz Lance GK $ 12,900.00 $ 12,900.00 Day job at McD's pays more than that LA Jaqua Nate F $ 112,500.00 $ 119,525.00 What! Why? LA Jones Cobi M $ 95,000.00 $ 95,000.00 For Cobi? That's it??? LA Kirk Quavas F $ 75,000.00 $ 111,500.00 More wasted money!
Ty Harden, our rookie starter on defense only makes $17,700! Isn't that considered below the poverty level? I'm tempted to pass a collection plate for him at our next home game.
sturgis got a healthy and well deserved raise. this list actually looks the most reasonable it's been in ages. sure there are a few aberrations -- glinton, quaranta, marshall and pete seem over paid. interesting to see martino is on $55k a year. i would have assumed much more. -- kind of sucks to have your salary published, i can't imagine this being good for locker room morale.
Really, the only one that makes me say "what??" is Ian Russell, especially in comparison to what some of the other guys signed for, such as Harmse and Troy Roberts and Ty Harden (although I realize he's a rookie). I too was surprised at what Kyle Martino is making. I thought it was more. He can't be too pleased when he sees what Quaranta is making though. And looks like Cobi took a pay cut (perhaps so he wouldn't be left unprotected for the expansion draft?)
I think it is deserved, kids got game and showed that to everyone during the Open Cup run. 2 players that don't deserve their current salaries are Santino and Vagenas.
Yeah, that was the one that really jumped out at me. There were two articles in the Daily Breeze last year about two Galaxy players that were roommates because of how little they earned. Can't remember who they were now, but I think one lived close to his parents so he could do laundry and have dinner there.
That would be my guess too. Remeber that with Quaranta, LAG did not establish the salary level - that came with him from DCU. I think Jaqua was under contract too, so that was a given when LAG traded for him. Harden has got to be the biggest bargain on the team so far. It would be fun at the end of the season to divide salaries by minutes played and see what these guys earn on an "hourly" basis.
I remembered the details a bit incorrectly, but here's the article, which mentions a few Galaxy and Chivas players: http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/3607926.html?c=y&hid=1609873325 That's a f'ing disgraceful position from MLS. Gimme a break. Another similar article: http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/3607921.html
I'm going to give Lalas some credit here. He's done a good job of managing the salary cap. IMO Quaranta's and Jaqua's salaries are pretty reasonable. Established attacking players who are starters are going to demand 100K. If they prove to be quality starters then they will be fantastic bargains. Poor Martino. This is what happens when you go to Europe and you don't get an offer. Quavas is GA so he doesn't count towards the cap. The problem was that he was signed when he was 17 and the league usually has to make good offers to get the kids to skip college. The bigger issue will be next year when he likely graduates from GA. Don't feel too bad for Harden. He'll get a better offer next year. It's kind of unfair that Tudela and Findley got senior contracts and he didn't, but I think he wasn't highly touted in the draft (incorrectly) and that probably hurt is ability to negotiate. I don't think there's anyone who is dramatically overpaid, and we may be the only team that can say that.
I think Findley's salary is reasonable enough, not many rookies make that much, although I'd expect a raise for him next season, same with Harden, a huge raise in his case. I'm in agreement with those who think that Ian Russell's salary is a disgrace, I know it would take a lot to tempt him out of retirement, but seriously, he's way overpaid. I wonder did Cronin get a salary, I dont remember him making that much before, and lets hope Glinton shows us something on the field, $50,000 is a lot for a player which we haven't really seen yet. Kirk will eventually prove that he's worth his salary, I hope.
Don't feel too sorry for the "underpaid" guys, they're living their dream and hoping for a big payday in the near future. No one is forcing them to do it.
Yeah, I think the incentive is definitely there to keep playing and hopefully get better. The majority of teams have paid well when these rookie players have gotten better or even further along in their career. The real world isn't always so kind. Some positions and careers you just can't make much more by getting better at what you do. By the way Shavar was making alot comparatively speaking. That gives us quite a bit more room doesn't it?
yeah it's not terrible, it's certainly not good compared to other pro-leagues, but they're doing ok. $15,000 is minimum wage 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year in LA. there's no way these guys are putting in 2,000 hours a year as rookies. i doubt starters are putting in 2,000 hours a year even if you counted every travel hour and every hour away from home as "work". so it's a gamble on their part. it'd be like taking a job at a start-up instead of microsoft (assuming they got a decent degree in college). you sacrifice security, regular pay checks, etc... of a 9 to 5, for the possible big pay day. maybe becks can let the guys stay in his pool house.
No kidding, I'm a part time researcher and I make way more. I got $20 for Harden for sure, handballs or not. Some of these guys could be making ten times this in Denmark, Norway, Belgium etc. MLS needs to think about raising the salary cap just a bit. The league should be making descent money off of sponsors, tv deals etc by now, shouldn't they?
OR, divide Herc's 2005 salary ($16K or something??) by his season goals total (11?, maybe 15?) and you get a really favorable "dollars - per - goal" rate that rivals Ruiz' value in 2002
I'm surprised and somewhat saddened to see Cobi's salary as low as it is... At least Gordo didn't get a huge raise after his production increase last year ($30,870). Santino is overpaid, but I hear most of his salary goes straight to Hometown Buffet to cover his tab. Jazic at $114,250 is pretty astounding. I like the guy, but seriously... Quavas Kirk is overpaid. Jaqua needs to do more to earn his $119,525. Pete at $131,875.00 is kind of high too... Some guys are just terribly underpaid and other are terribly overpaid... it's like that in most companies. Bobby Boswell barely makes $30k and the guy has his own freakin' website. If you want see a team with some overpaid players, look at Toronto FC. Maybe the exchange rate had something to do with that? Carl Robinson is making $315k, Andy freakin' Welsh is making $204k, Danny Dichio is making $158k. I guess that's the kind of money that we have to throw at second-tier European players before they come over here?
I believe at one point in the last few years Cobi resigned a new contract for much less, probably so the team could justify keeping him around. It's nearly impossible to see the team holding on to Cobi the last two years for $300k+ a year.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's pretty cool to follow a sports team where some of the players make similar salaries to the fans. As far as I know, all the players signed agreed to the terms and signed contracts...no one forced them to... You are worth what you can negotiate. Are MLS contracts guaranted?
Most guys are only developmental for two years, by that time they're either on the senior roster or out of the league.