MLS Player Salaries: Insights Into MLS Players Contracts

The MLS is one of the more unique soccer (football) leagues around the world with low salary caps for clubs but with some MLS player salaries exceeding the sum of the rest of their team, interesting to say the least. Let’s dig in and see which players are getting the biggest paychecks. Are they putting out the production their salary is warranting?

Inter Miami stands out as the club that currently offers the highest salaries in the MLS, of course, while Nashville SC offers the lowest salaries in the league. Below, you can find a breakdown of the average player salary for all the teams in the MLS.

The Major League Soccer (MLS) offers competitive salaries to its players. Depending on experience and performance, players can earn an average salary of $100,000 – $3,000,000. However, it is important to note that the MLS has a salary cap of $4.24 million per team.

Inter Miami stands out as the club that currently offers the highest salaries in the MLS, while Nashville SC offers the lowest salaries.

Team	Average Annual Salary	Annual Total Compensation
Inter Miami CF	$1,240,000	$29,487,000
Toronto FC	$928,477	$26,925,850
Houston Dynamo	$757,700	$14,265,000
FC Cincinnati	$685,600	$12,335,000
Austin FC	$619,700	$13,267,000
LA Galaxy	$581,250	$14,544,000
Chicago Fire FC	$573,800	$18,284,000
St. Louis City SC	$458,400	$8,718,000
Atlanta United FC	$452,500	$9,507,000
Portland Timbers	$421,250	$11,780,000
Los Angeles FC	$387,250	$9,294,000
Columbus Crew SC	$385,388	$10,405,500
New York City FC	$384,500	$9,588,000
Sporting KC	$369,250	$9,971,000
Seattle Sounders FC	$367,500	$9,178,500
New England Revolution	$366,500	$9,529,000
Orlando City SC	$339,925	$8,838,000
Charlotte FC	$314,600	$5,978,000
San Jose Earthquakes	$288,050	$8,642,000
Real Salt Lake	$287,800	$8,634,000
Philadelphia Union	$261,200	$6,525,000
New York Red Bulls	$242,250	$6,783,000
Minnesota United FC	$238,560	$5,750,000
Colorado Rapids	$230,925	$6,235,000
Montreal Impact	$230,250	$6,645,000
FC Dallas	$225,750	$5,192,000
DC United	$219,400	$5,924,500
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	$187,300	$5,432,000
Nashville SC	$168,300	$5,050,000

Click on a team name to read more about each player’s salary in that specific MLS team.

Western & Eastern Conference Average MLS Club Salaries

Here are the player salaries in the MLS, divided and ranked by the conference.

MLS Player Salaries – Western Conference Clubs

Team	Average Base Compensation (Annual)
1. Houston Dynamo	$757,700
2. Austin FC	$619,700
3. LA Galaxy	$581,250
4. St. Louis City SC	$458,400
5. Portland Timbers	$421,250
6. Colombus Crew	$385,388
7. Sporting KC	$369,250
8. Seattle Sounders FC	$367,500
9. San Jose Earthquakes	$288,050
10. Real Salt Lake	$287,800
11. Minnesota United FC	$238,560
12. Colorado Rapids	$230,925
13. FC Dallas	$225,750
14. Vancouver Whitecaps	$187,300
15. Nashville SC	$168,300

Major League Soccer Eastern Conference

Team	Average Salary (Annual)
1. Toronto FC	$928,477
2. FC Cincinnati	$685,600
3. Chicago Fire FC	$573,800
4. Atlanta United	$452,500
5. Los Angeles FC	$387,250
6. New York City FC	$384,500
7. New England Revolution	$366,500
8. Orlando City SC	$339,925
9. Charlotte FC	$314,600
10. Philadelphia Union	$261,200
11. New York Red Bulls	$242,250
12. Inter Miami CF	$240,000
13. Montreal Impact	$230,250
14. DC United	$219,400

MLSPA: Top 10 MLS Highest-Paid Player (2023)

The pay gap in the MLS is huge; the average MLS player salary is $386,668. Check out this list of the MLS highest-paid players. Lionel Messi leads the way with a base salary almost double that of the next highest-paid player.

MLS Player	MLS Club	Base Compensation	Guaranteed Compensation
1. Lionel Messi	Inter Miami	$12,000,000.00	$20,446,667.00
2. Lorenzo Insigne	Toronto FC	$7,500,000.00	$15,400,000.00
3. Xherdan Shaqiri	Chicago Fire	$7,350,000.00	$8,153,000.00
4. Chicharito	LA Galaxy	$6,000,000.00	$7,443,750.00
5. Federico Bernardeschi	Toronto FC	$3,125,000.00	$6,295,381.00
6. Sebastián Driussi	Austin FC	$3,800,000.00	$6,022,500.00
7. Héctor Herrera	Houston Dynamo	$4,750,000.00	$5,246,875.00
8. Douglas Costa	LA Galaxy	$3,000,000.00	$4,508,333.00
9. Christian Benteke	D.C. United	$4,250,000.00	$4,432,778.00
10. Josef Martínez	Inter Miami	$4,000,000.00	$4,391,667.00

Javier Hernandez - Chicharito MLS Salary - MLS Player Salaries — Player: Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) – Club: LA Galaxy

Xherdan Shaqiri MLS Salary — Player: Xherdan Shaqiri – Club: Chicago Fire FC

Lorenzo Insigne MLS Salary — Player: Lorenzo Insigne – Club: Toronto FC

The Major League Soccer, more commonly known as the MLS, is the premier soccer league in North America. It is composed of a variety of clubs and teams, each offering its own average salary for players. While the MLS has a salary cap of $4.24 million per team, salaries can range from $100,000 to $3 million depending on experience and performance.

The MLS is a great opportunity for aspiring soccer players to make a living out of their passion and to make their dreams come true. With Major League Soccer increasing in popularity year after year, the competition for teams and players is getting more and more fierce.

How much does an MLS player make a year?

The salary of an MLS player varies widely depending on factors such as experience, skill level, and contract negotiations. However, the minimum salary for an MLS player in 2023 is $85,444, while the salary cap maximum is $651,250.

Who is the highest-paid MLS player in history?

Lionel Messi is officially the highest-paid player in the history of Major League Soccer. In 2023, Messi is expected to earn $20,446,667 in guaranteed compensation, with a $12 million base salary.

Resource: MLSPA Salary Guide