Galaxy, LAFC in top half of MLS payrolls; ‘Chicharito’ second-highest paid player

The Galaxy have the second-highest team payroll and the second-highest-paid player in MLS, according to salary figures released Tuesday by the players’ union.

The team’s wage bill of $20.53 million is about $470,000 less than Atlanta United’s total of $20.99 million. But it’s more than $200,000 greater than last season’s salary figure, which led MLS.

Individually, Galaxy captain Javier “Chicharito” Hernández will make $6 million this season, trailing only the Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri, who will be paid a league-record $8.153 million in guaranteed compensation.

LAFC’s Carlos Vela, who was the best-paid player in MLS last season, saw his guaranteed compensation trimmed by $2.25 million to $4.05 million. That’s still seventh best in the league. LAFC’s team payroll of $14.56 million, $1.2 million less than last year, ranks 11th in the league.

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The Galaxy are paying the 29 players on their roster an average of $707,863 while the 28 men on LAFC’s roster are earning an average of $520,847.

The union says the average base salary for senior roster nondesignated players this season rose 10.3%, to $438,728, continuing a trend of double-digit growth over thelast five seasons. Fifty players will make at least $1.5 million this season.

With the Galaxy spending big on Hernández and Brazilian Douglas Costa — whose guaranteed salary of $3 million is 16th highest in MLS — the team is spending more on forwards — $12.45 million — than any other club. But they have gotten little return from that investment with 12 goals in 11 games, the Galaxy have outscored just six of the league’s 28 teams.

LAFC forward Carlos Vela in action against the Colorado Rapids during the first half on Saturday in Commerce City, Colo.

(David Zalubowski / Associated Press)

Besides Hernández and Costa, the Galaxy have one other millionaire in designated player Kévin Cabral, who will make $1.65 million. Forward Preston Judd is the team’s lowest-paid player at $65,500 while midfielder Sacha Kljestan took a pay cut of more than $163,000, to $84,000.

For LAFC, the best-paid player after Vela is U.S. national team midfielder Kellyn Acosta, whose guaranteed compensation is $1.215 million. The team has two other millionaires in midfielder Ilie Sánchez ($1.15 million) and forward Brian Rodríguez ($1.45 million). The lowest-paid player is forward Cal Jennings with a salary of $84,000.

The team getting the most for its money is Real Salt Lake, which is fifth in the Western Conference standings with a payroll of $10.477 million. That breaks down to $551,466 a point. Chicago, which is last in the Eastern Conference with 10 points, is spending more than three times as much per point with a payroll topping $17.65 million.

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MLS team payrolls

1. Atlanta, $20.999 million
2. Galaxy, $20.528 million
3. Miami, $18.882 million
4. New England, $18.141 million
5. Chicago, $17.645 million
6. Seattle, $16.983 million
7. New York City, $15.543
8. Toronto, $15.213 million
9. Dallas, $15.031 million
10. Columbus. $14.978 million
11. LAFC, $14.563 million
12. Cincinnati, $13.789 million
13. Austin, $13.754 million
14. Kansas City, $13.631 million
15. Minnesota, $13.240 million
16. Montreal, $12.920 million
17. DC United, $12.483 million
18. Vancouver, $11.946 million
19. Philadelphia, $11.808 million
20. New York Red Bulls, $11.726 million
21. Nashville, $11.710 million
22. Houston, $11.548 million
23. San Jose, $11.541 million
24. Orlando, $11.509 million
25. Colorado, $11.390 million
26. Portland, $11.311 million
27. Charlotte, $10.708 million
28. Salt Lake, $10.477 million

Highest-paid players
(guaranteed compensation)

1. Xherdan Shaqiri, Chicago, M, $8.153 million
2. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, F, Galaxy, $6 million
3. Gonzalo Higuaín, Miami, F, $5.793 million
4. Alejandro Pozuelo, Toronto, M, $4.693 million
5. Jozy Altidore, New England, F, $4.264 million
6. Josef Martínez, Atlanta, F, $4.141 million
7. Carlos Vela, LAFC, F, $4.050 million
8. Luis Araujo, Atlanta, F, $3.941 million
9. Lucas Zelarayan, Columbus, M, $3.7 million
10. Gil Carles, New England, M, $3.545 million
11. Rodolfo Pizarro, Miami, M, $3.350 million
12. Nicolás Lodeiro, Seattle, M, $3.256 million
13. Franco Jara, Dallas, F, $3.227 million
14. Raúl Ruidíaz, Seattle, F, $3.201 million
15. Victor Wanyama, Montreal, M, $3.091 million
16. Douglas Costa, Galaxy, F/M, $3 million
17. Adrien Hunou, Minnesota, F, $2.687 million
18. Gustavo Bou, New England, M, $2.675 million
19. Gastón Giménez, Chicago, M, $2.360 million
20. Carlos Salcedo, Toronto, D, $2.351 million
21. Thiago Almada, Atlanta, M, $2.332 million
22. Sebastian Driussi, Austin, F, $2.317 million
23. Ryan Gauld, Vancouver, M, $2.265 million
24. Karol Swiderski, Charlotte, F, $2.258 million
25. Luciano Acosta, Cincinnati, M, $2.222 million

Galaxy salaries
(guaranteed compensation)

Daniel Aguirre, F, $66,724
Efraín Álvarez, M, $712,167
Julián Araujo, D, $678,750
Jonathan Bond, G, $526,875
Kévin Cabral, F, $1.65 million
Douglas Costa, M/F, $3 million
Séga Coulibaly, D, $457,000
Mark Delgado, M, $726,250
Nick DePuy, D, $231,000
Cameron Dunbar, M, $136,750
Raheem Edwards, D, $307,500
Adam Saldaña, M, $95,447
Marcus Ferkranus, D, $113,625
Samuel Grandsir, F/M, $988,427
Carlos Harvey, M, $84,000
Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, F, $6 million
Dejan Joveljic, F, $612,500
Preston Judd, F, $65,500
Jonathan Klinsmann, G, $200,000
Sacha Kljestan, M, $84,000
Kelvin Leerdam, D, $335,000
Jalen Neal, D, $113,625
Jonathan Pérez, M, $171,750
Rayan Raveloson, M, $855,025
Richard Sánchez, G, $84,000
Victor Vázquez, M, $440,000
Jorge Villafaña, D, $486,667
Derrick Williams, D, $821,458
Eriq Zavaleta, $84,000

LAFC salaries
(guaranteed compensation)

Kellyn Acosta, M, $1.215 million
Cristian Arango, F, $683,000
Latif Blessing, M, $416,667
José Cifuentes, M, $411,750
Maxime Crépeau, G, $302,500
Erik Dueñas, D, $102,000
Franco Escobar, D, $550,008
Mamadou Fall, D, $118,750
Julian Gaines, F, $87,444
Francisco Ginella, M, $572,250
Doneil Henry, D, $403,000
Ryan Hollingshead, $393,750
Sebastian Ibeagha, D, $252,125
Cal Jennings, F, $84,000
Antonio Leone, D, $102,000
John McCarthy, G, $110,000
Jesús Murillo, D, $509,500
Danny Musovski, F, $93,988
Kwadwo, Opoku, F, $133,095
Diego Palacios, D, $510,000
Brian Rodríguez, F, $1.144 million
Tomás Romero, G, $95,000
Ilie Sánchez, $1.15 million
Eddie Segura, $224,000
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi, F, $647,860
Christian Torres, $101,230
Mohamed Traore, D, $100,000
Carlos Vela, F, $4.05 million