Players union adjusts Zardes contract
Salary figures released Wednesday by the Major League Soccer Players Association indicated that Crew SC’S payroll increased nearly 50% since the last time figures were made available in December.
Those figures, however, reflected one significant “clerical error,” the players association acknowledged Thursday. And since they are unofficial —the Crew and other MLS teamsdo not release salary information — other inaccuracies can creep in.
The error was with forward Gyasi Zardes, who will earn $1.47 million in 2019 in guaranteed compensation and not the $2.31 million that the players association reported originally.
Another difference in how payroll is counted can come in cases of trades or loans, where it is unknown how teams share the cost.
For example, midfielder David Accam came to the Crew in May in a trade with the Philadelphia Union. His salary, as listed by the players association, is $1.137 million, making it second highest on the team. But because the Crew acquired Accam with the intention of trading him to expansion club Nashville after the season, it is unknown how much of his salary the Crew is paying.
Another example is Lalas Abubakar, a defender playing for Colorado on loan from the Crew. His $144,938 salary is listed among Rapids players, but it’s unknown how much of his salary is being paid for by either team.
Under the ownership of the Edwards and Haslam families, and the direction of club president Tim Bezbatchenko, the Crew hasn’t seemed shy about spending on players. In December, shortly before they took over, the Crew had a payroll of $7.55 million, according to players association figures, with the same caveats about possible inaccuracies and costsharing. The figure now appears closer to $10.4 million, so the payroll seems to be up, although by how much remains unclear.
In addition to Zardes and Accam, the Crew has one other million-dollar man in midfielder Federico Higuain at $1.1 million, according to union figures. Other top earners on the list are designated player Pedro Santos at $864,560, Jonathan Mensah at $894,004 and Wil Trapp at $593,746.
Figures listed here are what the players association calls guaranteed compensation, which includes bonuses and player options rather than a base salary. Although bonuses and options might not apply to the current year, the union said it best captures all money earned in a player’s contract.
Open Cup update
The Crew announced that its Round of 16 game in the U.S. Open Cup will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mapfre Stadium. The opponent will Atlanta United of MLS.
The Crew advanced by defeating the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL 1-0 on Tuesday.
The Crew is in the midst of a break in its MLS schedule for the Gold Cup regional championship, with its next MLS game on June 23 at Mapfre Stadium against Sporting Kansas City.