Top 10 MLS Salaries (Plus Top 10 Non-DP Salaries)

The MLS Players Union has released its annual salary list, putting an exact figure on what every player in Major League Soccer earns. No surprise that LA Galaxy’s David Beckham still tops the list with a guaranteed annual salary of $6.5, with other Designated Players like New York Red Bulls’ Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez close behind. I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 MLS earners below, all of whom are DPs. But in many ways the DP earnings aren’t as interesting as learning what the other players make. Bigghish names like Brian Ching and Dwayne DeRosario. So I’ve also compiled a list of the top 10 biggest earners who are not Designated Players.

The good news is that the numbers in MLS look a little better every year. The formerly embarrassingly low league minimum is now $40,000. Still not what you’d call serious athlete money, but at least guys like She Salinas won’t necessarily need part time jobs to pay the rent. The two lists of Top 10 MLS salaries are below:

Top 10 earners in MLS (by guaranteed annual compensation) are:
1. David Beckham LA Galaxy $6,500,000
2. Thierry Henry NY Red Bulls $5,600,000
3. Rafa Marques NY Red Bulls $5,544,000
4. Landon Donovan LA Galaxy $2,127,778
5. Juan Pablo Angel NY Red Bulls $1,918,000
6. Nery Castillo Chicago Fire $1,788,060
7. Julian De Guzman Toronto FC $1,717,546
8. Freddie Ljungberg Chicago Fire $1,314,000
9. Mista Toronto FC $987,337
10. Branko Boskovic DC United $516,200

All of the above are Designated Players. Four DPs not in the top 10 are:
Blaise Nkufo Seattle Sounders $480,000
Alvaro Fernandez Seattle Sounders $300,000
Geovanni San Jose Earthquakes – Salary information unavailable
Omar Bravo Kansas City Wizards – On loan to Guadalajara until 2011

Top 10 Non-Designated Player MLS Earners (by guaranteed annual compensation) are:
1. Shalrie Joseph New England $475,000
2. Taylor Twellman New England $459,500
3. Dwayne DeRosario Toronto FC $443,750
4. Brian McBride Chicago Fire $403,333
5. Brian Ching Houston Dynamo $350,000
6. Carl Robinson Toronto FC NY Red Bulls $315,000
7. Bobby Convey San Jose Earthquakes $307,500
=8. David Ferreira FC Dallas $300,000
=8. Kasey Keller Seattle Sounders $300,000
10. Fred Philadelphia Union $282,000

- Find MLS tickets and MLS jerseys in our store.

Some Related Stories:

Category: MLS, Romania