anyone have an idea or guess to what players were earning back when it started or even 5-10 years after the league begun? I recall reading several of the top stars took significant paycuts to help jumpstart MLS (which makes obvious sense) but also that they made up some of the difference on endorsements and other bonuses that the league gave to them. I noticed this in an ESPN article on Tim Howard's move to MLS and regarding some changes since he played here.
I still remember the salaries quoted in 1996 when the league started. League maximum was $192,500, though a number of players were being paid additional money by sponsors. League minimum was $24,000. The team salary cap was just $1,200,000. That's a little deceptive at the bottom end, though, because in 1996 rosters were limited to just 18 players and all roster slots were "senior" roster slots. The league minimum appeared to go down and then back up because the league added "developmental" roster slots in 2002. That year, teams could have 18 senior players and 4 developmental players, who had to be under 25 and could be paid as low as $12,900. Back in those days, with rosters so small, once injuries started to hit, teams constantly had a revolving door of players on 1-game emergency loans from lower league or indoor teams. In both 1998 and 2002, during the World Cup, teams were allowed extra roster slots for the duration of the World Cup to replace USMNT players, and that also meant short-term loans.
Also there were proto-DPs like Valderrama and Etcheverry for whom exceptions were made, they were just more informal than what goes on today. There's very little info on salaries, but I remember reading that total payroll actually contracted by a third between 2000 and 2004. Now, part of that was that the number of teams contracted by a sixth, and part of it was that the head office also scaled back. But it also speaks to those guys not really getting replaced when they retired, at least not until David Beckham's arrival and the ensuing DP rule.
IIRC, that was for just one year. Developmental minimum salary was $19,900 in 2003 and $24,000 in 2004. I don't remember what the minimum for senior roster slots was, but it was higher, having gone up from $24,000 in 1996. At the time, MLS didn't see it as dropping the minimum salary, it was more a matter of expanding rosters and having a lower minimum for those extra roster slots. Some of that still exists today, where the first 24 players have one minimum and teams can have up to four players beyond that at a lower minimum. But I believe those four additional slots no longer have an age restriction.
Those were mostly rookies who were happy to be paid for playing soccer instead of having to pay college tuition for the privilege. They trained in the morning and mostly had second jobs they worked afternoon and evenings. In the early days of the league players supplemented their playing salaries with youth coaching gigs. Mike Amman (GK for the Metrostars) turned down a trade because he would have taken an income hit having to give up his side job.
Some guys that were on $12,900 contracts include: Chris Tierney, Jorge Flores (Vilafana), Steven Lenhart, Nick Labrocca (2007 and 2008)
I never though about it but your absolutely right. There was a period of time there were the league was really bereft of any sort of big-time talent you could promote. I can't really think if any stars other than national team guys. Carlos Ruiz? Shalrie Joseph? DeRo? Djorkaeff maybe?