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2009 MLS Salaries unveiled

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The MLS Player's Union has released the 2009 MLS salaries (at least on deals submitted before recently).

David Beckham remains the highest-paid player at more than $6.5 million in guaranted compensation. Cuauhtemoc Blanco comes in second with close to $3 million in guaranteed money. Juan Pablo Angel comes in third with almost $1.8 million. Freddie Ljungberg is fourth with a $1.3 million deal.

Kansas City wins the discount DP award for bringing former Designated Player Claudio Lopez back for $180,000.

There are plenty of players missing from this list, basically all the rookies, undrafted college and trialists still trying to make teams. You also player players such as Alfredo Pacheco and Carlos Johnson, who haven't had their deals finalized yet.

What do you think of the salaries? Who do you think is the most overpaid player? How about the best bargain in MLS?

Share your thoughts on your team, and the rest of the league's salaries, in the comments section below (Red Bulls salaries after the jump).

2009 New York Red Bulls salaries

Juan Pablo Angel ($1,798,000.00), Danleigh Borman ($34,000.00), Terry Boss ($34,000), Andrew Boyens ($52,050), Danny Cepero ($34,000), Jon Conway (123,625), Oscar Echeverry ($84,000), Kevin Goldthwaite ($111,000), Jeremy Hall ($88,000), Macoumba Kandji ($90,988), Matt Mbuta ($34,000), Carlos Mendes ($88,125), Dominic Oduro ($34,650), Mike Palacio ($20,100), Mike Petke ($80,000), Juan Pietravallo ($205,000), Dane Richards ($136,500), Jorge Rojas ($130,000), Luke Sassano ($34,000), Khano Smith ($120,000), Seth Stammler ($118,000), Sinisa Ubiparipovic ($80,000), John Wolyniec (($80,000).

Comments

  1. You gotta think these teams somehow find a way to pay these lower earning players some money on the side… no??

    I live in Jersey, make about 50k/year and still had to move back home because rent and living expenses were too high. I feel for some of these guys.

    Pietravallo is a joke. He wont even start and is making that much..

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  2. is anyone else kinda disapointed that the redbulls having givin cepero a raise considering is proformence last season

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  3. Huricano, wouldn’t that essentially kill the DP rule then?

    I agree with everyone who says we need a $50k minimum. We can’t expect these players to grow and develop when they are scraping by financially. And If I see Lawrentowicz, Nyassi, Mansally or Dube out in Boston ever, I will definitely know from now on to pick up their tabs.

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  4. I think its a bad system when one player on a team makes 1.8 million and another 20k. There should be some ratio, maybe maximum 8 to 1. The league should think of overall quality and domestic standouts not overprices and over-the-hill imports.

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  5. 3 points:

    1. Players who have DEV contracts and are making less than 30k usually have the team provide them an apartment. I don’t know about your living arrangement, but I’ll take 30k if I don’t have to pay rent, no problem.

    2. Alan Gordon at 79k cannot be considered overpaid. Just a hint: As an off-the-bench player, compare his numbers for 08 to the numbers of most STARTING forwards in the league. Come back with the results. Oh, then compare his productivity with the English lad’s.

    3. Israel Sesay’s +100k = not paid by the Galaxy, and doesn’t count against the cap. Oh, and Sesay is wicked fast and very talented, might see a lot of him this season.

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  6. With respect to the Vitti situation. Isn’t he on loan from Independiente? Wouldn’t that club be covering his salary? Does anybody know how the loan situation works with respect to the salary cap?

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  7. Hard to beleive Robbie Rogers is only paid $92,500 a year. I would think the MLS would pay him more so they have a decent chance of keeping him-dumb.

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  8. Vitti at twice Montero was an eyebrow raiser.

    So much for RObinson’s big pay cut to stay….he’s on pretty much the exact same money.

    Arnaud popped out to me as overpaid, but the biggest things that stands out is the inconsistency. Even ignoring GA players which given they are well above average for rookies distorts things, even the senior contracts make little sense. I guess, though, it’s all a matter of what you negotiate.

    Glad to see Nana and Gala on senior deals at leas for TFC.

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  9. anyone else notice that the minimum salary went from 12900 to 20100. Personally i think that is a step in the right direction.

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  10. I’m sorry but can we stop whining about developmental players making 34 grand? My wife and I make about the same COMBINED. And I have a bachelor’s degree. These are kids playing soccer, most of which won’t be in the league past this year. I’d be more than happy to make $34,000 for approximately 9 months of work. So they might have to have a roommate, so do most people, it’s called reality.

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  11. I’m of two minds on the pay issue. On the one hand, young players and prospects just breaking in and at the margins of the league SHOULD be making a small salary, especially given the current dire economic climate and the fact that MLS is still a relatively young, small league by top world standards that still needs to be strict about containing costs. One hopes that the young guys at the bottom have some family or other support while they chase their dream. Remember, most of these guys are still in their late teens, early twenties. If guys in their late twenties or early thirties are still hanging on near the bottom of the pay scale then they should probably be preparing for a life after football anyway. All that said, a starting living salary (at least $30K is necessary to survive in ANY major metropolitan area of North America) can only encourage good young talent to stay and look at opportunities here instead of Europe. Right now, it’s hard to argue that there’s not still room for improvement.

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