Two U.S. Soccer Stars Each Make More Than 15 MLS Teams

What's This?

Seattle Sounders' Clint Dempsey, right, battles against Toronto FC's Michael Bradley, left, and Alvaro Rey, center, in the first half of an MLS soccer match on Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Seattle.

Image: Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

By Sam Laird2014-04-12 02:30:02 UTC

Clint Dempsey is a damn fine soccer player, but is he this good?

Dempsey, who returned to Major League Soccer (MLS) from the English Premier League in August, is making $6.695 million in guaranteed salary for the Seattle Sounders this year.

If that seems like a lot of money for an America soccer player, you're right — Dempsey's salary is more than the total payroll of 15 of the 19 MLS clubs.

We know this because the MLS Players Union released payroll figures for the league on Thursday. Dempsey is the league's highest-paid player, followed by Toronto FC's Michael Bradley and Jermaine Defoe.

Dempsey, Bradley ($6.5 million) and the Los Angeles Galaxy's Landon Donovan ($4.6 million) are the only U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) members among the league's 10 highest-paid players.

Bradley, like Dempsey, also earns more than then entire payroll of 15 of the 19 MLS teams. Even Donovan's relatively humble salary is higher than 12 teams' payrolls.

If you're wondering how such a big pay disparity can exist in a league with a hard salary cap of $3.1 million per team, it's thanks to the MLS' "designated player rule." The rule allows teams to sign up to three players whose salaries don't count against the cap.

The idea is to help the league increase its talent level, but still maintain some competitive balance.

Here are the 2014 salaries of several other players who will likely represent the US at this summer's World Cup and play pro ball in MLS:

Omar Gonzalez, L.A. Galaxy: $1.25 million

Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City: $398,250

Eddie Johnson, DC United: $613,333.33

Matt Besler, Sporting Kansas City: $200,000

Kyle Beckerman, Real Salt Lake: $378,750.00

Of course — in a World Cup year, especially — many players are raking in endorsement money that greatly inflates their overall incomes. For example, there's this Degree-branded short film on Dempsey's soccer journey, directed by Mad Men star John Hamm.