Note: The salary table below is best viewed on a laptop, desktop, or tablet.
Earlier this morning, the Major League Soccer Players Association released the 2022 MLS player salaries as of September 2. This update of the figures released back in Mayincludes the high-profile midseason signings made by Toronto FC, LAFC, and others — it looks like MLS minted a few more millionaires this year.
Notably, New York City FC are not a part of that trend. NYCFC added just one player to their payroll, winger Matias Pellegrini, and his guaranteed compensation of $970,833 brings the club’s total payroll to just over $16.5 million.
Keep in mind that NYCFC’s payroll is inflated by the salaries of Taty Castellanos ($1,076,000), Alexandru Mitrita ($1,150,000), and James Sands ($493,956), who are all out on loan but who remain on the books. If you deduct their salaries, NYCFC’s active payroll is brought down to a frugal $13.7 million.
To put that number in context, Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne alone makes $14 million per year. Inter Miami CF’s Gonzalo Higuaín ($5,793,750) and Alejandro Pozuelo ($4,693,000) make a combined $10,486,750, and could alone cover the salaries of 28 of NYCFC’s Senior Team players.
But we’ll echo what we stated when we punished the player salaries back in May, and repeat the caveat noted by Jeff Rueter and Sam Stejskal in The Athletic: While this might be the best publicly-available primary source for player salaries, “the formula the MLSPA uses for guaranteed compensation does not give a perfectly accurate indication of what a player is making this season.”
In other words, the numbers aren’t so crystal clear. These are well-informed guesstimates: Bonuses are averaged, transfer and loan fees are annualized, and the actual salary paid to the player might be different than what these specific sums suggest.
NYCFC 2022 Player Salaries, Updated for Fall
| Name | Position | Base Salary | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acevedo, Nicolás | D, M | $200,000 | $244,800 |
| Amundsen, Malte | D, M | $270,000 | $308,700 |
| Barraza, Luis | GK | $125,000 | $132,688 |
| Benalcázar, Nico | D | $65,500 | $65,500 |
| Callens, Allexander | D | $750,000 | $814,000 |
| Carrizo, Máximo | M | $65,500 | $84,357 |
| Castellanos, Valentín | F | $900,000 | $1,076,000 |
| Chanot, Maxime | D | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| Gloster, Christopher | D | $228,000 | $238,000 |
| Gray, Tayvon | D | $125,000 | $144,788 |
| Haak, Justin | M | $85,444 | $85,444 |
| Héber | F | $825,000 | $914,000 |
| Jasson, Andres | M | $100,000 | $117,144 |
| Jimenez, Jonathan | F | $65,500 | $65,500 |
| Johnson, Sean | GK | $550,000 | $550,000 |
| Latinovich, Vuk | D | $85,444 | $85,444 |
| McFrlane, Christian | M | $65,500 | $83,756 |
| Mitrita, Alexandru | F | $1,150,000 | $1,150,000 |
| Mizell, Cody | GK | $85,440 | $85,440 |
| Morales, Alfedo | M | $600,000 | $662,250 |
| Moralez, Maxi | M | $600,000 | $1,300,000 |
| O’Toole, Kevin | F | $65,500 | $65,500 |
| Owusu, Samuel | D | $85,440 | $85,440 |
| Parks, Keaton | M | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Pellegrini, Matias | M-F | $875,000 | $970,833 |
| Pereira, Gabriel | F | $555,000 | $624,500 |
| Rodríguez, Santiago | M | $612,500 | $612,500 |
| Sands, James | D-M | $400,000 | $493,956 |
| Talles Magno | F | $950,000 | $1,198,000 |
| Thiago | F | $180,000 | $199,600 |
| Thiago Martins | D | $1,500,000 | $1,962,000 |
| Tinnerholm, Anton | D | $750,000 | $800,000 |
| Zelalem, Gedion | M | $84,000 | $84,000 |
| Total | $14,198,768 | $16,504,140 | |
Much of what we reported in May still stands:
• Alexander Callens is the biggest bargain in MLS — Callens ($814,000) is arguably the best at his positions in MLS, the elite of the elite, but his salary puts him at the bottom of the top of the pyramid.
• NYCFC’s attacking line is a steal — you can get Maxi Moralez ($1.3 million), Talles Magno ($1.19 million), Héber ($914,000), Gabriel Pereira ($624,000), Santiago Rodríguez ($612,500), and Thiago ($199,600) for less than what Houston Dynamo pay Hector Herrera ($5.247 million).
• NYCFC doesn’t have a player in the Top 10 for compensation, or even the Top 20 — you have to scroll all the way down to find Thiago Martins ($1,962,000) at No 39 to find the highest-paid player at New York City.
• Thiago and Nicolás Acevedo are the biggest bargains in the club — hard-playing Thiago will make just $199,600 this year, and regular starter Acevedo will make just $244,800.
But now that the regular season has ended we’re looking at the payroll with fresh eyes, and noting how important Justin Haak ($85,444), and Kevin O’Toole ($65,500) have been to the club this year. Stick with it, kids. Your payday will come.
