French striker Hassli still top earner on the Whitecaps, despite pay cut
Highest- paid Vancouver player at $ 790,000 for the season, captain Demerit second at $ 350,000; team average is $ 150,600
French striker Eric Hassli remains the highest- paid player on the Vancouver Whitecaps roster this season but he will earn $ 110,000 less than last year, according to information released Friday by the Major League Soccer Players’ Union.
The union salary list says Hassli’s guaranteed compensation this year — including base salary and signing bonuses — is $ 790,000, compared with $ 900,000 last year.
With no Mustapha Jarju on the roster this year, Caps captain Jay Demerit becomes the second- highest- paid player, with $ 350,000 of guaranteed compensation.
Midfielder Davide Chiumiento is third, with $ 300,000, while Argentine defender Martin Bonjour’s $ 277,000 makes him the team’s fourth- highestpaid player.
Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo, the Caps’ MVP last season, got a significant pay raise this year, with his compensation rising from $ 133,545 to $ 237,500.
Goalkeeper Joe Cannon and midfielder John Thorrington took pay cuts to stay in Vancouver this season, with Cannon’s compensation dropping from about $ 210,000 to $ 175,666 and Thorrington’s falling from $ 207,200 to $ 170,000.
Korean defender Young- Pyo Lee, who could have signed for a lot more money somewhere else, will make $ 174,200 in Vancouver this season, according to the players’ union.
The total compensation for all 29 Whitecaps roster players totals $ 4,368,683, which works out to just over $ 150,600 a player. Scottish midfielder Barry Robson’s compensation is not included in the Caps salary list as he won’t join the club until the international transfer window opens in late June.
New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry leads MLS salaries with $ 5.6 million while teammate Rafael Marquez makes $ 4.6 million.
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham makes $ 4 million, while teammate Robbie Keane earns $ 3.4 million and Landon Donovan makes $ 2.4 million.
The salary figures are not precise as teams can use allocation money to buy down the value of players’ contracts so they fall under the league salary cap and the information does not include personal services contracts players might have with the team or its sponsors.
Toronto FC captain Torsten Frings is the highest- paid MLS player in Canada with a salary of $ 2,413,666 this season.
Canadian midfielder Julian de Guzman and Dutch striker Danny Koevermans, Toronto’s other designated players, rank second and third in Canada, according to MLS Players’ Union figures.
De Guzman makes $ 1,910,746 and Koevermans $ 1,563,323.
The three Toronto players make up one- third of the league’s million- dollar- plus earners. Frings’ salary is the fifth- highest in the league, de Guzman’s seventh and Koevermans’ eighth.
Despite the hefty investment in the trio, Toronto ( 0- 9- 0) has yet to register a point in league play this season and languishes in 10th place in the East.