The Major League Soccer Players Union released its bi-annual salary information Thursday and one thing is clear: Player salaries are financially top-heavy.
As Luke Kerr-Dineen breaks down over at For The Win, most of the league’s total salary compensation of $151,719,752 is concentrated in the hands of a few select clubs and players.
The league is made up of 22 teams, so under an even distribution that would mean each club spends about $7 million on player salaries. However, four clubs (New York FC, Toronto FC, LA Galaxy, and Orlando City FC) account for 48 percent of total league spending.
A similar trend is also unfolding with player salaries. The top 20 highest-paid players make up nearly 50 percent of all league spending. Meanwhile, the top five players in earnings (Kaka, Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard) account for nearly $33 million in salary, which is approximately 22 percent of all league compensation.
Although those numbers certainly seem shocking, it used to be even worse for the MLS have-nots. The league actually raised the salary floor from $36,500 to $60,000 last year. It’s a raw deal for less-talented players, but if you are an aging soccer star, the MLS is the perfect landing spot.
The top American soccer league has temporarily figured out its position in the global market. The MLS is not going to draw international stars in their prime away from European leagues that can offer better compensation, competition, and fan support. However, it can target aging stars looking to cash in one last time in the twilight of their careers. This gives former stars a chance to continue playing at a competitive level for decent money while clubs can use a recognizable name to market to fans and fans get to see legends in person.
It is a formula that works well for the league as attendance was at an all-time high in 2015. Approximately 7.3 million fans attended MLS games last year and the average per-game attendance increased by nearly 13 percent from 2014. The league’s most popular team, the Seattle Sounders — who are fifth in total compensation — even averaged more fans per game than Liverpool of the English Premier League.
The MLS still has a long way to go to reach the top of the international soccer food chain, but the American league has found its niche for now: A merger of stars and scrubs.
[FTW]
