MLS Releases 2025 Club Roster Profiles

Scott AllenFebruary 27, 2025

The MLS released the 2025 Club Roster Profiles which include squad (Senior, Supplemental) and roster designations (Designated, U-22, TAM).

View full roster profile via MLS here.

mls roster profiles

FC Cincinnati acquires Evander from Portland for $12 million plus add-ons

Scott AllenFebruary 17, 2025

FC Cincinnati acquires Evander from the Portland Timbers in a blockbuster trade before the 2025 MLS season kicks off. Cincinnati utilized the new cash-for-player mechanism to acquire Evander after trading Luciano Acosta to FC Dallas.

Cincinnati receives: Evander

Portland receives: $12 million guaranteed cash, conditional $150k million cash for incentives, sell-on%, trade %

 

RELATED: FC Cincinnati Roster, Portland Timbers

mls fc cincinnati portland timbers evander da silva ferreira

FC Dallas acquires Luciano Acosta from FC Cincinnati

Scott AllenFebruary 12, 2025

FC Dallas acquires the 2023 MLS MVP, Luciano Acosta, from FC Cincinnati in a major blockbuster trade before the 2025 MLS season kicks off. Dallas utilized the new cash-for-player mechanism to acquire Acosta.

Dallas receives: Luciano Acosta

Cincinnati receives: $5 million guaranteed cash, conditional $1 million cash for performance-based metrics, trade %

 

RELATED: FC Dallas Roster, FC Cincinnati Roster

mls fc cincinnati fc dallas luciano acosta

2025 MLS General Allocation Money

Scott AllenDecember 19, 2024

For the first time the MLS published a list of General Allocation Money (GAM) that each team will have available for the 2025 season.

Here is a club list as of December 10th:

Club 2025 GAM
Atlanta United $6,503,478
Austin FC $3,162,071
Chicago Fire FC $2,931,721
FC Cincinnati $4,225,000
Columbus Crew $3,173,205
Charlotte FC $2,976,404
Colorado Rapids $3,980,215
D.C. United $3,383,240
FC Dallas $4,482,846
Houston Dynamo FC $2,063,538
Los Angeles Football Club $3,770,022
LA Galaxy $2,416,000
Inter Miami CF $3,300,159
Minnesota United FC $4,547,572
CF Montréal $2,948,106
New England Revolution $5,585,931
Nashville SC $2,512,683
New York City FC $3,285,135
New York Red Bulls $3,879,130
Orlando City SC $3,990,312
Philadelphia Union $4,220,769
Portland Timbers $2,767,783
Real Salt Lake $4,133,765
San Diego FC $5,095,000
Seattle Sounders FC $4,215,203
San Jose Earthquakes $3,550,810
St. Louis CITY SC $5,306,579
Sporting Kansas City $3,390,955
Toronto FC $3,318,648
Vancouver Whitecaps FC $3,658,458

 

Full report: view here

mls gam general allocation money

2024 MLS Salaries

Scott AllenMay 16, 2024

Top-10 2024 Guaranteed Salaries

A look at the top ten highest guaranteed salaries in the MLS for the 2024 season (as of May 16, 2024 per MLSPA Salary Guide)

  1. Lionel Messi (MIA), $20,446,667

  2. Lorenzo Insigne (TOR), $15,400,000

  3. Sergio Busquets (MIA), $8,774,996

  4. Xherdan Shaqiri (CHI), $8,153,000

  5. Sebastian Driussi (ATX), $6,722,500

  6. Federico Bernardeschi (TOR), $6,295,381

  7. Emil Forsberg (RBNY), $6,035,625

  8. Hector Herrera (HOU), $5,246,875

  9. Hany Mukhtar (NSH),$5,211,667

  10. Carles Gil (NE), $4,452,083

Full rankings list can be viewed here 

2024 Guaranteed Salaries per Team

Based on the Top-100 Guaranteed salaries, FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders FC each have 6 in the Top-100, followed by Chicago Fire FC, LA Galaxy, and Inter Miami FC who each have 5.

Inter Miami FC leads all teams with a total of $41.6 million in total guaranteed salary reported followed up by Toronto FC ($32.1 million) and Chicago Fire FC ($25.1 million). Teams with the lowest guaranteed salary reported were Real Salt Lake ($13.6 million), CF Montreal ($12.05 million) and St. Louis CITY SC($12.02 million). 

The full breakdown can be viewed here.

Top-2 Guaranteed Salaries per Team

Atlanta United 

Giorgos Giakoumakis, $2,248,417

Thiago Almada, $2,232,000

Austin FC

Sebastian Driussi, $6,722,500

Emiliano Rigoni, $2,047,996

Chicago Fire FC

Xherdan Shaqiri, $8,153,000

Hugo Cuypers, $3,528,044

FC Cincinnati

Luciano Acosta, $4,216,413

Aaron Boupendza, $1,759,600

Columbus Crew

Diego Rossi, $3,376,827

Cucho Hernandez, $2,886,000

Charlotte FC

Liel Abada, $2,448,500

Karol Swiderski, $2,258,000

Colorado Rapids

Kevin Cabral, $1,950,000

Djordje Mihailovic, $1,675,000

FC Dallas

Petar Musa, $2,230,000

Jesus Ferreira, $2,204,000

D.C. United

Christian Benteke, $4,432,778

Mateusz Klich, $2,093,588

Houston Dynamo FC

Hector Herrera, $5,246,875

Sebastián Ferreira, $2,290,200

LA Galaxy

Joseph Paintsil, $3,358,000

Gabriel Pec, $2,459,000

Los Angeles FC

Denis Bouanga, $3,609,500

Aaron Long, $1,303,044

Inter Miami FC

Lionel Messi, $20,446,667

Sergio Busquets, $8,774,996

Minnesota United FC

Teemu Pukki, $3,550,000

Emanuel Reynoso, $2,251,200

CF Montreal

Victor Wanyama, $1,800,000

Josef Martinez, $1,309,091

New England Revolution

Carles Gil, $4,452,083

Giacomo Vrioni, $1,947,500

New York Red Bulls

Emil Forsberg, $6,035,625

Dante Vanzeir, $1,489,767

Nashville SC

Hany Mukhtar, $5,211,667

Walker Zimmerman, $3,456,979

New York City FC

Thiago Martins, $2,462,000

Hannes Wolf, $1,510,000

Orlando City

Luis Muriel, $4,336,150

Facundo Torres, $1,812,400

Philadelphia Union

Mikael Uhre, $2,040,000

Daniel Gazdag, $1,757,500

Portland Timbers

Jonathan Rodríguez, $2,627,500

Evander, $2,355,000

Real Salt Lake

Cristian Arango, $2,088,746

Justen Glad, $1,330,000

Seattle Sounders FC

Raul Ruidiaz, $2,729,120

Albert Rusnak, $2,221,667

San Jose Earthquakes

Cristian Espinoza, $2,002,000

Carlos Gruezo, $1,681,086

Sporting Kansas City

Alan Pulido, $3,600,000

Nemanja Radoja, $1,530,000

St. Louis CITY SC

Roman Bürki, $1,657,469

João Klauss, $1,370,284

Toronto FC

Lorenzo Insigne, $15,400,000

Federico Bernardeschi, $6,295,381

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Ryan Gauld, $2,985,000

Andres Cubas, $1,146,375

mls

2023 MLS Draft Results

Scott AllenDecember 22, 2022

The 2023 MLS Draft was conducted on Dec 21, 2022.

Hamady Diop from Clemson goes #1 overall to Charlotte FC.

11 drafted players were reportedly signed immediately upon being drafted.

Conferences with the most selections are as follows:

  • AAC: 16
  • Big Ten: 11
  • Big East: 9
  • Sun Belt: 6
  • America East, American, Atlantic 10: 5

Schools with multiple draft selections are as follows:

  • 5: Syracuse
  • 4: Maryland
  • 3: Clemson, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Western Michigan
  • 2: Creighton, Dayton, Georgetown, Penn, San Diego State, UNC Greensboro, Washington

 

2023 MLS Draft Results

mls mls draft

Inter Miami & Lionel Messi Close to MLS-record Deal

Scott AllenNovember 28, 2022

Per reports, Inter Miami and Lionel Messi are close to an agreement to bring the superstar to the MLS on a record deal. The reporting of this makes it sound like the contract will be north of $14 million which is currently the highest guaranteed salary in the in MLS.

 

The Top-3 highest guaranteed salaries in MLS history:

Lorenzo Insigne ($14 million, 2022)

Xherdan Shaqiri ($8,15,3000, 2022)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic ($7,200,000, 2019)

 

Related:

2022 MLS Salary Rankings

mls lionel messi inter miami

Weekend Champions

Scott AllenNovember 07, 2022

MLB WORLD SERIES

Houston Astros earned their second title in franchise history. 2022 Roster & Salaries

MLS CUP

Los Angeles FC (LAFC) won its first MLS Cup since it first started playing games in 2018. The team is led by Carlos Vela who earned $4.05 million in 2022 and signed an extension during the summer. 2022 Roster & Salaries

NASCAR CUP SERIES

Joey Logano wins the 2022 Cup Series Championship and the second title of his career. His average finish was 13.5. 2022 Results

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES

Ty Gibbs wins the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship in his rookie season. His average finish was 9.2.

NASCAR TRUCK SERIES

Zane Smith wins the 2022 CAMPING WORLD Truck Series Championship in his rookie season. His average finish was 9.2.

nascar mlb mls

Final 2022 MLS Salaries Updated

Scott AllenOctober 19, 2022

The final update of the 2022 MLS salaries have been posted and updated on Spotrac.

View 2022 Rankings

mls

Major League Soccer Spending & Expansion

Scott AllenFebruary 22, 2022

Major League Soccer is about begin its 27th season. We take a look at the top spending teams, highest paid players and top earning players over the last 10 seasons. Furthermore, Major League Soccer continues to grow with new investors/owners with the sale/purchase of current franchises, expansion of new teams and invest money into new training facilities and stadiums. 

 

Top Spending Teams

A list of the top spending MLS teams over the last five (5) seasons (2017 - 2021).

  1. Toronto FC: $108,084,199
  2. LA Galaxy: $86,459,201
  3. Chicago Fire: $70,462,404
  4. New York City FC: $70,342,221
  5. Atlanta United FC: $66,263,215
  6. Seattle Sounders FC: $65,429,082
  7. Orlando City: $58,667,789
  8. Portland Timbers: $58,159,350
  9. Los Angeles FC: $57,585,374 (since 2018)
  10. Sporting Kansas City: $56,899,623
  11. CF Montreal: $54,462,383
  12. Columbus Crew: $53,717,015
  13. Real Salt Lake: $50,356,616
  14. FC Dallas: $47,931,823
  15. New England Revolution: $47,587,639
  16. DC United: $47,325,453
  17. Minnesota United FC: $46,986,049
  18. San Jose Earthquakes: $46,363,499
  19. Colorado Rapids: $46,099,675
  20. Philadelphia Union: $44,860,472
  21. Vancouver Whitecaps FC: $43,758,670
  22. New York Red Bulls: $42,311,364
  23. FC Cincinnati: $41,937,683 (since 2019)
  24. Houston Dynamo: $41,471,442
  25. Inter Miami FC: $32,199,907 (since 2020)
  26. Nashville SC: $21,387,511 (since 2020)
  27. Austin FC: $12,652,387 (since 2021)

 

Top Earning Positions

The top earnings positions over the last five (5) seasons.

  1. Midfielders, $601,659,240
  2. Forwards, $450,423,060
  3. Defenders, $293,242,674
  4. Goalkeepers, $74,437,072

 

Top Earning Players

Players who have earned the most guaranteed cash over the last ten (10) seasons.

  1. Michael Bradley, $41,928,571
  2. Jozy Altidore, $32,986,750
  3. Kaká, $28,670,000
  4. Sebastian Giovinco, $28,462,224
  5. Clint Dempsey,  $26,488,574
  6. Carlos Vela, $25,192,500
  7. David Villa, $22,500,000
  8. Robbie Keane, $20,250,575
  9. Giovani Dos Santos, $19,850,008
  10. Bastian Schweinsteiger, $17,100,000

 

Top One-Year Salaries 

Players who have earned the highest one-year salaries over the last five (5) seasons.

  1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (LA, 2019), $7,200,000
  2. Kaká (ORL, 2017), $7,167,500
  3. Sebastian Giovinco (TOR, 2017 & 2018), $7,115,556
  4. Michael Bradley (TOR, 2017 & 2018), $6,500,000
  5. Michael Bradley (TOR, 2019), $6,428,571
  6. Jozy Altidore (TOR, 2019), $6,332,250
  7. Carlos Vela (LAFC, 2019, 2020 & 2021), $6,300,000
  8. Carlos Vela (LAFC, 2018), $6,292,500
  9. Bastian Schweinsteiger, (CHI, 2018), $6,100,000
  10. Javier Hernandez (LA, 2020 & 2021), Giovani Dos Santos (LA, 2018): $6,000,000

 

Expansion

Major League Soccer continues to grow and has added six (6) teams in the last five seasons. Charlotte FC will begin the MLS journey with the start of the 2022 season and St. Louis City SC is set to join for the 2023 season.

  • Atlanta United & Minnesota United, 2017
  • Los Angeles FC, 2018
  • Inter Miami CF & Nashville SC, 2020
  • Austin FC, 2021
  • Charlotte FC, 2022
  • St. Louis City SC, 2023

 

Related MLS Article

Recent MLS and NWSL Investment Prices and Stadium Costs

mls

Recent MLS and NWSL Investment Prices and Stadium Costs

Scott AllenFebruary 12, 2022

With the recent sale of the Washington Spirit to Michelle Kang for $35 million and pending sale of Real Salt Lake for an estimated $400 million, we breakdown the recent sales, expansion fees and new stadium construction costs across Major League Soccer and the National Women's Soccer League. These United States based soccer leagues have become a hot-bed for investment from all sectors of business and with that investment comes the rise of soccer-specific stadiums. Franchises are not only investing in their players with development and training facilities, they are investing in the fan experience with building soccer-specific stadiums to create an atmosphere that larger stadiums cannot create.

 

Sale Prices

Recently known sale prices for Major League Soccer and National Women's Soccer League franchises.

 

Houston Dynamo + Houston Dash (2021): $400 million

Ted Segal, founder/president of real estate and finance companies, purchased both the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash for $400 million for controlling stake. This sale price does not include the stadium or training facility.

Orlando City SC + Orlando Pride (2021): $450 million 

Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings, purchased Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride for an estimated $450 million. This sale price includes the stadium an training facilities.

Real Salt Lake (pending, 2022): $400 million

David Blitzer and Ryan Smith are purchasing Real Salt Lake for an estimated $400 million. Smith is majority owner of the Utah Jazz, while Blitzer is a minority owner of the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia 76ers and other international soccer franchises.

Washington Spirit (2022): $35 million

The Washington Spirit, reigning NWSL champions, were sold for $35 million to Michelle Kang to gain the controlling shares of the team. Kang initially bid $21 million for the team but then increased her amount to the $35 million in order to out bid Todd Boehly's $25 million. Boehly is co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks.

 

Expansion Fees

Recently known expansion fees for Major League Soccer and National Women's Soccer League franchises.

 

MLS

Miami Fusion (1998): $20 million

Atlanta United FC (2004): $70 million

Inter Miami (2014): $25 million, part of David Bechham's contract with LA Galaxy with option to buy expansion franchise

Nashville SC (2017) & Austin FC (2018): $200 million

Charlotte FC (2019): $325 million

NWSL

Sacramento, now San Diego (2019): est. $2 million

Kansas City Current (2021): $5 million

 

Stadium Costs

Recently known costs for brand-new built stadiums in Major League Soccer and National Women's Soccer League.

 

Kansas City Current, TBD name

  • est. Open 2024
  • est. $70 million
  • Soccer-specific stadium
  • First NWSL only stadium 

Columbus Crew SC, Lower.com Field

  • $314 million
  • Opened July 2021
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Austin FC, Q2 Stadium

  • $260 million
  • Opened June 2021
  • Soccer-specific stadium

FC Cincinnati, TQL Stadium

  • $250 million
  • Opened May 2021
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Inter Miami, DRV PNK Stadium

  • $60 million
  • Opened August 2020
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Minnesota United, Allianz Field

  • $200 million
  • Opened April 2019
  • Soccer-specific stadium

D.C. United, Audi Field

  • $400 million
  • Opened July 2018
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Los Angeles FC, Banc of California Stadium

  • $350 million
  • Opened April 2018
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

  • $1.6 billion
  • Opened September 2017
  • Multi-sport venue

Orlando City SC, Exploria Stadium

  • $155 million
  • Opened March 2017
  • Soccer-specific stadium
  • First stadium to host MLS, NWSL and USL teams as same time

San Jose Earthquakes, PayPal Park

  • $100 million
  • Opened March 2015
  • Soccer-specific stadium

Houston Dynamo FC, BBVA Stadium

  • $95 million
  • Opened May 2012
  • Multi-purpose stadium

 

mls nwsl sale expansion fee stadium costs
Top