Twice a year, the gauzy veil that is draped (and then duct-taped and chained for good measure) over Major League Soccer salaries is lifted. On two random days during the year, usually in May and again in September, the MLS Players Association releases player salary information in the form of a handy guide.
This year’s initial installment was a little weirdly rolled out before it went up for real on Thursday afternoon. It was up for a brief time on Wednesday afternoon, which was poorly timed for me, as I was in Antone’s being bombarded with 101X tunes circa 1996 when that happened, waiting for Don Garber to tell me something I’d already figured out.
It was up long enough for some to grab it and circulate it, and for long enough for the savvy J. Sam Jones to write about it, calling it “Dork Christmas.”
I myself call it MLSPA Christmas, but also, he’s not wrong. This is dork territory, getting into the roster-building landscapes of GAM and TAM knowledge for those who believe that titles begin by finding designated players who can contribute and value at other positions.
So, let’s review all the base salary and guaranteed compensation values and look at the five biggest surprises, for better or worse, on the 2024 roster.
