2008 MLS Salaries

[Hortical]

2008 Salaries

(Surveys through 4/8/08)
PLAYER SALARIES - ALPHABETICAL
PLAYER SALARIES - BY CLUB

Beckham tops MLS salaries

David Beckham still earns 50 times Major League Soccer's average salary, even with it rising 12 percent this year to $129,395.


At $6.5 million in guaranteed income, Beckham makes twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in the league, Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco ($2,666,778), according to figures released by the league's players union. Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy at midseason last year and brought new attention to the league, which launched in 1996.
D.C. United's Marcelo Gallardo was third at $1,874,006, followed by New York's Juan Pablo Angel ($1,593,750) and Claudio Reyna ($1,265,000), and the Galaxy's Landon Donovan ($900,000).


Forty-six players earn the league minimum of $33,000. Among developmental players, 30 make $17,700 and 43 make $12,900.
The median salary — the point at which an equal amount make above and below — was $61,273 for the 333 players listed. That is up 16 percent from last year's median of $52,965.


Guaranteed income includes salaries and a prorated share of signing bonuses plus marketing bonuses payable in 2007. Beckham has a $5.5 million base salary.

[Me]

Them significantly up Shavar's salary. Well deserved (should be getting even more).
Gallardo is overpaid. He is good, but he is not that good. Claudio Reyna is the most overpaid player in MLS. He is not that good, can't put people in the stadium seats and does not sell jerseys.

They still robbing Scott Sealy and Dane Richards.

[Mosiah]

Beckham makes more than twice what the 2nd highest player makes.

And they still paying people $13,000. Isn't that below the federal minimum wage?

[Hortical]

The salary differential is a bit too much. The federal minimum wage is $5.85 per hour, however some States like Connecticut have a much higher minimum wage rate, which is $7.65/hour.

[Jangle]

The MLS salary structure is a big joke. How can a person survive on $13k/year? Imagine making that and calling yourself a professional football player. Ridiculous!

[Mosiah]

HL soon come. Duck!

[Assasin]

Unn think Slavery did done?

A long time mi a lick out gainst the MLS salary.

[Gamma]

is this in america? nuh tell the half man half horse oddawise 'im woulda guh into cardiac arrest! these things only happen in jamaica and never under the pnp!

[Farmah]

Yard Mad MLS Base Salaries:

1) Cunningham, Jeff* (TFC) - $245,000
2) Marshall, Tyrone (TFC) - $150,000
3) Thomas, Shavar - (Chivas) $95,000
4) Willaims, Andy - (RSL) $80,000
5) Cummings, E (Col) $33,000
6) Johnson, Ryan (SJE) $33,000
7) Richards, Dane (NYRB) $33,000

Notes:
1) Cunningham deserves his pay but I'm tempted to think that he gets this much because he is part of the USA pool of players, thus not really a fully-pledged Yardman.

2) Marshall deserves every penny of that 150K...period!!

3) Thomas is finally getting the recognition and remuneration (somewhat) for the yeoman service he dishes out for Chivas USA.

4) Williams salary is a big disrespect !! He deserves at least $125K.

5) Cummings must stamp his class this season and then instruct his agent to look to Europe or force MLS to make a quantum leap in his salary.

6) Johnson should have stayed in Sweden. Why come back to the MLS for a paltry 33K?

7) Richards is also being underpaid, big-time!! He has shown over the past season that he belongs with the big boys of the MLS and is an integral part of the Red Bulls engine.

[HL]

It's not what's fair...it's what's negotiable!!

Football is BUSINESS first!

Beckham's salary may not be 'fair' (to some)...but he got what was negotiable.

The beauty of the MLS system is that a player (with some luck) can climb the "salary-tree" with good consistent performance.

The 'sky' is the limit?

[TheDread]

Yard Mad MLS Base Salaries:

1) Cunningham, Jeff* (TFC) - $245,000
2) Marshall, Tyrone (TFC) - $150,000
3) Thomas, Shavar - (Chivas) $95,000
4) Willaims, Andy - (RSL) $80,000
5) Cummings, E (Col) $33,000
6) Johnson, Ryan (SJE) $33,000
7) Richards, Dane (NYRB) $33,000

Now we know why yard man prefer England! Imagine players like Fuller and King will make Cummings/Johnson/Richards's salary in a less than 2 weeks! In less than 4 months they will make more than any Jamaican in the MLS. I suspect that all the yard man in England making more than Marshall, and most make more than Cunningham.

[Zeppo]

1) Cunningham deserves his pay but I'm tempted to think that he gets this much because he is part of the USA pool of players, thus not really a fully-pledged Yardman.

Yep, getting U.S. citizenship is what helped Cunningham escape from the jaws of MLS's vast anti-Jamaican conspiracy.

Of course, his high salary couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he's the league's 4th highest scorer of all time.

[Farmah]

You make a good point. Jaime Moreno, Ante Razov and Jeff Cunningham are the top three scorers and are pretty close is salaries...so, yes that's likely the deciding factor.

[Karl]

Beckham makes more than twice what the 2nd highest player makes.

And they still paying people $13,000. Isn't that below the federal minimum wage?

2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines

Persons

in Family or Household
48 Contiguous
States and D.C.
Alaska
Hawaii
1
$10,400
$13,000
$11,960
2
14,000
17,500
16,100
3
17,600
22,000
20,240
4
21,200
26,500
24,380
5
24,800
31,000
28,520
6
28,400
35,500
32,660
7
32,000
40,000
36,800
8
35,600
44,500
40,940

For each additional
person, add

3,600

4,500
4,140

SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 15, January 23, 2008, pp. 3971–3972

Italic numbers - number per household