Average salary in the MLS

The MLS continues to grow year after year, salaries are on the rise as soccer in the US becomes increasingly popular.

According to a release from MLS Players Association (MLSPA), the average guaranteed compensation for all MLS players is approximately $472,000 USD, a 14% increase from last year’s average of $413,998. The median guaranteed compensation is now $248,333, a 24.2% jump from the 2021 median of $200,000.

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Top MLS salaries

Attacker Xherdan Shaqiri of the Chicago Fire is currently earning the most money in Major League Soccer.

According to the MLSPA the attacker will earn $8.15 million in 2022. This amount exceeds the $6 million in guaranteed pay that LA Galaxy forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez received, the Mexican is the second-highest earner in the MLS as of now.

91 players are listed by the MLSPA as having guaranteed salaries surpassing $1 million in 2022. Increase from 78 players in 2021.

Top earners include Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuain ($5.79 million in guaranteed pay), Alejandro Pozuelo of Toronto FC ($4.69 million), Jozy Altidore of the New England Revolution ($4.26 million), striker Josef Martnez of Atlanta United ($4.14 million), and forward Carlos Vela of LAFC ($4.05 million).

However, it is curious how few U.S. players are present on this list. Of the 28 highest paid players, only one American appears on the list, Jozy Altidore. Altidore plays for Toronto FC and earns $3.6 million annually, placing him sixth on the list of the highest paid players in MLS. Toronto FC is the only team to pay two players more than $3 million annually. Jozy Altidore and Alejandro Pozuelo are the only players in the top 10 who play for the same team. Pozuelo is Spanish and has a salary of $4.6 million per year.

Several Mexican players are atop the list

Since their arrival in U.S. soccer, Mexicans Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez have risen to the top of the league. These two players had the highest salaries in MLS last season. Interestingly, they both play in the same city, Los Angeles. This is an extremely attractive market for Latinos residing in the United States. In fact, about 48% of the city's population in Southern California is of Latino origin, according to the latest population census conducted in 2019.

In addition to the economic aspect, the arrival of this pair of Mexican players has brought good sporting results. Carlos Vela broke the record for goals in a single season and was the best player in MLS in 2019 with LAFC. For his part, Javier Hernandez has experienced a career resurgence in 2021. After a disastrous 2020 with LA Galaxy, he is looking to regain the level that brought him success in European soccer. For their part, they have also generated good results. Both Vela and Hernandez have sold many jerseys. MLS published the list of the best-selling jerseys and Carlos Vela's and Chicharito's jerseys were the two best sellers in the entire league.

MLS vs Liga Mx

The competition between U.S. and Mexican soccer continues. Although Liga MX has dominated in the sporting arena, in monetary terms they are quite evenly matched. If we compare the highest paid player in each league, MLS has the advantage. Swiss player Xherdan Shaqiri of the Chicago Fire will earn $8.15 million, while Florian Thauvin of Tigres will earns $6 million each year.

When we look at the average annual salary paid by both leagues (according to the specialized site Salary Sport), the difference is only 1.5 million dollars more in the United States.

However, it must also be said that by far the club that pays the most money to its players is Mexican: Tigres, which pays eight million more than the next Mexican team (América). Both, in fact, invest more than any of the MLS teams, including the mighty LA Galaxy, Atlanta United and Inter Miami. Liga MX salaries would average $9,103,615 per team, bringing the difference to about $2.4 million in favor of the MLS.

In Mexico, there is no minimum salary for soccer players. In fact, since there are lower divisions, players' salaries can be very low when they do not play in the First Division. Although some of the MLS salaries may sound stratospheric, there is a lot of inequality in this regard. Although in Liga MX there is also a big difference in the salaries of those who are stars and those who are not, it is much less noticeable.

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