The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five Stripes’ payroll drops dramatically
Club expects to spend about $16.7 million for 31 players on roster.
Atlanta United’s projected expenses for guaranteed compensation for players decreased by more than $2.5 million from September, according to information released Thursday by the Major League Soccer Players Association.
Atlanta United is projected to pay $16,663,279 million to the 31 players on its roster, compared with $19,277,184 in September. The per-player average is $537,525, compared with $600,850 in September.
The total projected money spent on all players in MLS is $518,902,285, an increase of $16,978,581 from September, with a perplayer average of $594,389, an increase of $51,182 from September.
Giorgos Giakoumakis has moved past Thiago Almada and projects to be Atlanta United’s highest-paid player, with guaranteed compensation of $2,248,417. Almada projects to receive $2,232,000 in guaranteed compensation.
Atlanta United is paying the majority of the salaries of on-loan players Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa, and at least half of Derrick Etienne’s salary. He was traded to Toronto this season.
The team’s payroll decreased for several reasons, one being that several players signed during last year’s summer window have projected salaries this season that more closely resemble what they actually will make. Last year’s guaranteed compensation estimates released in October for players Saba Lobjanidze and Jamal Thiare were derived from figures prorated across a calendar year.
The MLSPA releases the salary information twice a year.
The annual average guaranteed compensation is for players under contract as of April 25. It includes a player’s base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player’s contract, including option years. For example, a player earning an annual base salary of $500,000, whose contract has an initial term of two years with two oneyear options and received a $100,000 signing bonus, has an average annual guaranteed compensation of $525,000 (base salary plus signing bonus ($100,000), with the signing bonus divided by the number of years covered by the contract (four).
The average annual guaranteed compensation figure also includes any marketing bonus and any agent’s fees, both annualized over the length of the contract. The figure does not include performance bonuses because there is no guarantee that the player will hit those bonuses. These figures include compensation from each player’s contract with MLS. They do not include any compensation from any contracts with individual teams or their affiliates.