The MLS Players Union released their individual player salaries for the 2018 season, with Toronto FC‘s Sebastian Giovinco and Michael Bradley coming out as the league’s top earners.
Giovinco ($7.1 million) and Bradley ($6.5 million) are the two highest earners in total compensation. Los Angeles FC’s Carlos Vela ($6.29 million), the Chicago Fire’s Bastian Schweinsteiger ($6.1 million) and the LA Galaxy’s Giovani dos Santos ($6 million) round out the top five.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as widely reported when he first signed, is on a decent bargain of $1.5 million per year.
Ignacio Piatti is the Montreal Impact’s highest paid player at about $4.7 million in total compensation, and eighth overall in the league.
Kei Kamara, at $1 million, is the highest earner for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
MLS’s record signing, Ezequiel Barco of Atlanta United, is on about $1.4 million. Not bad for the recently turned 19-year-old. The Argentine teenager joined Atlanta from Independiente for a reported $15 million transfer fee in January.
To no one’s surprise, TFC has the most players in the top 10, with Jozy Altidore coming in at $5 million. As a team, Toronto FC is the league’s highest spender at more than $26 million, significantly above the LA Galaxy, who is second in total payroll.
Montreal is seventh in total payroll while the Whitecaps have fallen drastically compared to 2017. They are 16th out of 23 teams.
Nearly $250 million is being spent on player salaries in MLS, per American Soccer Analysis, with the majority of that money being dedicated to midfielders.
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