Galaxy, LAFC in top half of MLS payrolls; 'Chicharito' second-highest paid player
The Galaxy have the second-highest team payroll and the second-highest-paid player in MLS, according to salary figures released Tuesday by the players’ union.
The team’s wage bill of $20.53 million is about $470,000 less than Atlanta United’s total of $20.99 million. But it’s more than $200,000 greater than last season’s salary figure, which led MLS.
Individually, Galaxy captain Javier “Chicharito” Hernández will make $6 million this season, trailing only the Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri, who will be paid a league-record $8.153 million in guaranteed compensation.
LAFC’s Carlos Vela, who was the best-paid player in MLS last season, saw his guaranteed compensation trimmed by $2.25 million to $4.05 million. That’s still seventh best in the league. LAFC’s team payroll of $14.56 million, $1.2 million less than last year, ranks 11th in the league.
The Galaxy are paying the 29 players on their roster an average of $707,863 while the 28 men on LAFC’s roster are earning an average of $520,847.
The union says the average base salary for senior roster nondesignated players this season rose 10.3%, to $438,728, continuing a trend of double-digit growth over thelast five seasons. Fifty players will make at least $1.5 million this season.
With the Galaxy spending big on Hernández and Brazilian Douglas Costa — whose guaranteed salary of $3 million is 16th highest in MLS — the team is spending more on forwards — $12.45 million — than any other club. But they have gotten little return from that investment with 12 goals in 11 games, the Galaxy have outscored just six of the league’s 28 teams.
Besides Hernández and Costa, the Galaxy have one other millionaire in designated player Kévin Cabral, who will make $1.65 million. Forward Preston Judd is the team’s lowest-paid player at $65,500 while midfielder Sacha Kljestan took a pay cut of more than $163,000, to $84,000.
For LAFC, the best-paid player after Vela is U.S. national team midfielder Kellyn Acosta, whose guaranteed compensation is $1.215 million. The team has two other millionaires in midfielder Ilie Sánchez ($1.15 million) and forward Brian Rodríguez ($1.45 million). The lowest-paid player is forward Cal Jennings with a salary of $84,000.
The team getting the most for its money is Real Salt Lake, which is fifth in the Western Conference standings with a payroll of $10.477 million. That breaks down to $551,466 a point. Chicago, which is last in the Eastern Conference with 10 points, is spending more than three times as much per point with a payroll topping $17.65 million.
MLS team payrolls
Atlanta, $20.999 million
Galaxy, $20.528 million
Miami, $18.882 million
New England, $18.141 million
Chicago, $17.645 million
Seattle, $16.983 million
New York City, $15.543
Toronto, $15.213 million
Dallas, $15.031 million
Columbus. $14.978 million
LAFC, $14.563 million
Cincinnati, $13.789 million
Austin, $13.754 million
Kansas City, $13.631 million
Minnesota, $13.240 million
Montreal, $12.920 million
DC United, $12.483 million
Vancouver, $11.946 million
Philadelphia, $11.808 million
New York Red Bulls, $11.726 million
Nashville, $11.710 million
Houston, $11.548 million
San Jose, $11.541 million
Orlando, $11.509 million
Colorado, $11.390 million
Portland, $11.311 million
Charlotte, $10.708 million
Salt Lake, $10.477 million
Highest-paid players
(guaranteed compensation)
Xherdan Shaqiri, Chicago, M, $8.153 million
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, F, Galaxy, $6 million
Gonzalo Higuaín, Miami, F, $5.793 million
Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto, M, $4.693 million
Jozy Altidore, New England, F, $4.264 million
Josef Martínez, Atlanta, F, $4.141 million
Carlos Vela, LAFC, F, $4.050 million
Luis Araujo, Atlanta, F, $3.941 million
Lucas Zelarayan, Columbus, M, $3.7 million
Gil Carles, New England, M, $3.545 million
Rodolfo Pizarro, Miami, M, $3.350 million
Nicolás Lodeiro, Seattle, M, $3.256 million
Franco Jara, Dallas, F, $3.227 million
Raúl Ruidíaz, Seattle, F, $3.201 million
Victor Wanyama, Montreal, M, $3.091 million
Douglas Costa, Galaxy, F/M, $3 million
Adrien Hunou, Minnesota, F, $2.687 million
Gustavo Bou, New England, M, $2.675 million
Gastón Giménez, Chicago, M, $2.360 million
Carlos Salcedo, Toronto, D, $2.351 million
Thiago Almada, Atlanta, M, $2.332 million
Sebastian Driussi, Austin, F, $2.317 million
Ryan Gauld, Vancouver, M, $2.265 million
Karol Swiderski, Charlotte, F, $2.258 million
Luciano Acosta, Cincinnati, M, $2.222 million
Galaxy salaries
(guaranteed compensation)
Daniel Aguirre, F, $66,724
Efraín Álvarez, M, $712,167
Julián Araujo, D, $678,750
Jonathan Bond, G, $526,875
Kévin Cabral, F, $1.65 million
Douglas Costa, M/F, $3 million
Séga Coulibaly, D, $457,000
Mark Delgado, M, $726,250
Nick DePuy, D, $231,000
Cameron Dunbar, M, $136,750
Raheem Edwards, D, $307,500
Adam Saldaña, M, $95,447
Marcus Ferkranus, D, $113,625
Samuel Grandsir, F/M, $988,427
Carlos Harvey, M, $84,000
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, F, $6 million
Dejan Joveljic, F, $612,500
Preston Judd, F, $65,500
Jonathan Klinsmann, G, $200,000
Sacha Kljestan, M, $84,000
Kelvin Leerdam, D, $335,000
Jalen Neal, D, $113,625
Jonathan Pérez, M, $171,750
Rayan Raveloson, M, $855,025
Richard Sánchez, G, $84,000
Victor Vázquez, M, $440,000
Jorge Villafaña, D, $486,667
Derrick Williams, D, $821,458
Eriq Zavaleta, $84,000
LAFC salaries
(guaranteed compensation)
Kellyn Acosta, M, $1.215 million
Cristian Arango, F, $683,000
Latif Blessing, M, $416,667
José Cifuentes, M, $411,750
Maxime Crépeau, G, $302,500
Erik Dueñas, D, $102,000
Franco Escobar, D, $550,008
Mamadou Fall, D, $118,750
Julian Gaines, F, $87,444
Francisco Ginella, M, $572,250
Doneil Henry, D, $403,000
Ryan Hollingshead, $393,750
Sebastian Ibeagha, D, $252,125
Cal Jennings, F, $84,000
Antonio Leone, D, $102,000
John McCarthy, G, $110,000
Jesús Murillo, D, $509,500
Danny Musovski, F, $93,988
Kwadwo, Opoku, F, $133,095
Diego Palacios, D, $510,000
Brian Rodríguez, F, $1.144 million
Tomás Romero, G, $95,000
Ilie Sánchez, $1.15 million
Eddie Segura, $224,000
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, F, $647,860
Christian Torres, $101,230
Mohamed Traore, D, $100,000
Carlos Vela, F, $4.05 million
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.