Chicharito, Carlos Vela are highest-paid MLS players - Los Angeles Times
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Chicharito, Carlos Vela are highest-paid MLS players

Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez reacts gleefully after scoring a goal.
Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez reacts after scoring a goal. He has much to celebrate as one of the top-paid players in the MLS.
(Lynne Sladky / Associated Press)
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Southern California is where the money is in Major League Soccer, with the region’s two teams boasting the two highest-paid players in the league, according to salary information released Thursday by the league’s players’ association.

LAFC’s Carlos Vela has the highest guaranteed salary in MLS at $6.3 million and the Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has the highest base pay at $6 million. Vela’s base salary is $4.5 million.

Inter Miami’s Gonzalo Higuaín is the next-best-paid player, with a base salary of $5.1 million and guaranteed compensation of $5.794 million.

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Toronto’s Jozy Altidore is the only American in the top 28 of the salary list; he is guaranteed $3.6 million. Seventy-two players will make at least $1 million in guaranteed pay in 2021, up from 58 in 2019, the last year for which salary data is available.

Guaranteed compensation includes a player’s base salary and bonuses annualized over the term of the player’s contract, including option years. So if a player has a multi-year contract with a signing bonus, the value of that bonus is divided by the length of the contract and that value is included in the guaranteed compensation number each year.

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The average base salary for senior roster non-designated players is $398,725, more than double what it was five years ago.

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The Galaxy also have the third-highest team payroll at $16.8 million, trailing only Inter Miami ($17.8 million) and Toronto ($17 million). LAFC ranks sixth with a base payroll of $14.9 million.

After Hernández, the Galaxy have two other millionaires in designated players Jonathan dos Santos ($2 million) and the newly signed Kévin Cabral ($1.44 million) who could make his MLS debut Saturday against Austin FC. The team has three other players earning more than $900,000 in guaranteed compensation – midfielders Samuel Grandsir and Sebastian Lletget and defender Giancarlo González.

LAFC is paying Brian Rodríguez, currently on loan to Almeria of the Spanish second division, $1.04 million in guaranteed money. Diego Rossi, the reigning MLS scoring champion, will make $1.052 million. With Vela injured, LAFC’s starting lineup averages $386,545 in base pay, slightly lower than the league average.

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Galaxy salaries

Players listed with position, base salary and guaranteed compensation:

NickDePuyD$81,375.00$81,375.00
Carlos MiguelHarveyD-M$81,375.00$81,375.00
JonathanKlinsmannGK$81,375.00$81,375.00
EricLopezGK$81,375.00$81,375.00
KaiKoreniukM-F$85,444.00$85,444.00
JustinVom SteegGK$85,444.00$85,444.00
AdamSaldanaM$81,375.00$87,309.00
MarcusFerkranusD$90,000.00$103,625.00
JalenNealD$90,000.00$103,625.00
EfrainAlvarezM$110,004.00$114,738.00
CameronDunbarF$100,000.00$116,750.00
EthanZubakF$130,000.00$133,125.00
DaniloAcostaD$135,000.00$135,000.00
JulianAraujoD$140,000.00$146,250.00
JonathanPerezM$125,000.00$146,750.00
OnielFisherD$140,000.00$147,625.00
SachaKljestanM$247,350.00$247,350.00
DanielSteresD$375,000.00$393,750.00
VictorVázquezM$400,000.00$439,167.00
JorgeVillafañaD$450,000.00$486,667.00
JonathanBondGK$450,000.00$501,875.00
DerrickWilliamsD$750,000.00$821,458.00
GiancarloGonzálezD$850,000.00$919,583.00
SebastianLletgetM$800,000.00$923,750.00
SamuelGrandsirM-F$850,000.00$938,427.00
KévinCabralF$1,440,000.00$1,440,000.00
Jonathandos SantosM$2,000,000.00$2,000,000.00
JavierHernández F$6,000,000.00

$6,000,000.00

LAFC salaries

Players listed with position, base salary and guaranteed compensation:

CalJenningsF$81,375.00$81,375.00
AntonioLeoneD-M$81,375.00$83,375.00
DannyMusovskiF$85,444.00$85,444.00
TomasRomeroGK$81,375.00$86,375.00
BryceDukeM$90,000.00$90,000.00
ChristianTorresF$79,738.00$90,968.00
MohamedTraoreD$91,444.00$91,444.00
ErikDuenasD$90,444.00$92,444.00
RaheemEdwardsD-M$96,375.00$96,375.00
JordanHarveyD$110,000.00$110,000.00
KwadwoOpokuF$81,375.00$122,430.00
PabloSisniegaGK$150,000.00$150,000.00
MarcoFarfanD$190,000.00$190,000.00
TristanBlackmonD$193,000.00$203,000.00
EddieSeguraD$200,000.00$224,000.00
Mark-AnthonyKayeM$235,625.00$247,188.00
LatifBlessingM$360,000.00$376,667.00
CoreyBairdF$365,000.00$396,031.00
JoseCifuentesM$367,875.00$411,750.00
DiegoPalaciosD$432,000.00$456,000.00
JesusMurilloD$400,000.00$459,500.00
KimMoon-HwanD-M$500,000.00$524,000.00
FranciscoGinellaM$425,000.00$547,250.00
EduardAtuestaM$550,000.00$568,000.00
KennethVermeerGK$750,000.00$756,000.00
BrianRodríguezF$700,000.00$1,039,800.00
DiegoRossiF$1,000,000.00$1,052,000.00
CarlosVelaF$4,500,000.00$6,300,000.00
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